A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS 


A  CYCLE 
OF  ADAMS  LETTERS 

1861-1865 

EDITED  BY 

WORTHINGTON  CHAUNCEY  FORD 

WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS 
VOLUME  I 


BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 

HOUGHTON  MIFFLIN  COMPANY 

(Lbe  Htoerstoe  press  Cambridge 
1920 


X 


COPYRIGHT,  IQ20,  BY  WORTHINGTON  C.  FORD 
ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED 


TO 
MARY  OGDEN  ADAMS 

Possum  donata  reponere  laetus. 

HOB. 


r  r,  ~ 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

THE  series  of  letters  printed  in  these  volumes,  in 
dividual  in  themselves,  make  an  almost,  unique  com 
bination.  The  time  of  writing,  the  crisis  through 
which  not  only  the  nation  but  republican  institu 
tions  were  passing,  the  inheritance  and  position  of  the 
writers,  and  the  personal  characteristics  of  each  as 
shown  in  the  letters  and  as  developed  in  later  days, 
unite  to  give  interest  to  the  subjects  treated  and  the 
manner  of  presentation.  They  are  family  letters,  writ 
ten  in  all  the  freedom  of  family  intercourse,  selected 
from  what  would  fill  many  volumes;  they  are  much 
more  than  family  letters,  for  the  description  of  social 
conditions,  the  discussion  of  public  questions,  and  the 
wide  relations  held  by  the  writers,  make  them  a  con 
tribution  to  the  social,  military  and  diplomatic  his 
tory  of  the  War  of  Secession,  unequalled  in  scope  and 
concentrated  interest. 

For  nearly  a  century  the  Adams  family  of  Massa 
chusetts  had  filled  high  public  office,  a  succession  of 
students  of  government,  of  able  administrators,  whose 
independence  and  upright  character  commanded  rec 
ognition.  The  third  generation  had  as  its  represent 
ative  Charles  Francis  Adams,  the  favored  son  of  John 
Quincy  Adams.  On  the  election  of  Lincoln  to  the 
Presidency  Mr.  Adams  was  nominated  to  be  Minister 
of  the  United  States  to  Great  Britain  and  was  at  once 
confirmed  by  the  Senate.  He  sailed  for  his  post  in 


viii  INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

May,  1861,  and  reached  England  only  to  be  met  by  the 
Queen's  proclamation  recognizing  the  South  as  bellig 
erents.  The  act,  justified  in  international  law,  was 
interpreted  as  unfriendly,  and  seemed  in  fact  to  repre 
sent  the  feeling  of  suspicion  and  hostility  of  the  rul 
ing  class  in  England  towards  the  American  republic, 
a  feeling  that  found  expression  in  sympathy  for  the 
South,  in  the  wish  for  its  success  and  in  a  hope  that  a 
divided  people  would  remove  anxiety  on  the  growth 
of  a  democracy  that  could  not  be  confined  to  present 
bounds,  and  the  influence  of  which  on  old  institutions 
of  Europe  was  already  felt. 

The  almost  complete  isolation  of  the  Minister  for 
months  after  his  arrival  in  London  is  a  strange  phe 
nomenon.  The  requirements  of  official  etiquette  were 
fulfilled,  but  little  beyond  that  came  to  welcome  the 
strangers.  Mr.  Adams  himself  was,  indeed,  no  stranger 
in  England.  When  his  father  held  the  same  office, 
immediately  after  the  close  of  the  War  of  1812,  the 
son  had  been  in  an  English  school.  This  experience 
served  him  well  in  1861.  He  knew  the  English  char 
acteristics,  he  had  been  trained  in  their  methods,  he 
could  divine  how  the  English  mind  would  think,  and 
so  forecast  the  resulting  action.  The  English  reserve 
and  self-restraint  were  no  greater  than  his  own.  He 
could  anticipate  the  manner  of  expressing  a  difference 
of  opinion,  and  provide  against  surprise  by  an  unex 
pected  performance.  He  was  thoroughly  grounded  in 
the  history  of  the  United  States,  in  the  relations  which 
had  subsisted  between  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain,  and  in  republican  government,  with  its  ever- 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE  ix 

present  longing  to  improve  the  world  according  to  its 
own  beliefs.  No  man  in  American  public  life  was  by 
inheritance,  training  and  matured  convictions,  so  well 
fitted  to  occupy  this  office  at  so  delicate  and  critical 
a  time.  The  seven  years  of  service  in  London  mark 
the  highest  point  of  Mr.  Adams'  career.  Facing  perils 
where  a  misstep  would  have  involved  catastrophe, 
ruin  to  himself  and  destruction  to  his  country,  he  made 
no  mistake,  no  surrender  to  temporary  advantage, 
no  concession  of  right  or  principle.  Against  public 
clamor  at  home,  at  times  against  the  instructions  of  his 
superior,  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  against  the  pres 
sure  of  Americans  and  plotting  Southerners  in  Europe, 
he  calmly  pursued  his  course.  His  abilities,  prescience 
and  acts  have  been  fully  justified  by  time  and  events. 
Never  had  American  diplomacy  in  Europe  been  at  as 
low  an  ebb  as  in  1861;  never  had  American  policy, 
domestic  as  well  as  foreign,  stood  as  high  as  in  1868,  and 
nowhere  higher  than  in  England.  To  Mr.  Adams  the 
country  largely  owed  this  change;  it  was  a  great  achieve 
ment,  the  greater  because  of  the  difficulties  overcome. 
The  son,  Charles  Francis  Adams,  Jr.,  had  graduated 
from  Harvard  College  in  1856,  and  was  now  in  the 
office  of  Richard  Henry  Dana  studying  law  but  grad 
ually  becoming  aware  that  law  was  not  his  proper 
vocation.  He  had  the  same  -distaste  for  its  practice 
that  had  repelled  his  grandfather,  John  Quincy  Adams. 
He  had  grown  up  in  an  atmosphere  of  political  dis 
cussion,  had  been  accustomed  to  consider  public  ques 
tions,  and  was  forming  connections  in  journalism  as 
a  possible  future  field  for  public  service.  Already  he 


x  INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

showed  the  inquiring  mind  which  took  nothing  for 
granted,  discussed  everything  and  recognized  no  lines 
of  disciplined  obedience  to  party  or  to  creed.  Restive 
under  the  inaction  of  a  law  office,  he  chafed  under  the 
idea  of  confinement,  of  wasted  energy  and  little  prom 
ise  of  improvement.  His  father's  service  in  Congress 
interested  him  far  more  than  anything  that  Kent  or 
Blackstone  could  offer,  and  in  his  communications  to 
the  newspapers  he  was  no  more  blind  to  the  rapidly  ap 
proaching  crisis  in  the  contest  between  the  North  and 
the  South  than  were  his  older  contemporaries.  Con 
scious  of  a  certain  capacity  of  expression  he  believed 
the  career  of  publicist  offered  him  better  expectations 
than  any  other  calling,  and  subsequent  events  proved 
him  in  this  to  have  been  correct. 

Thus  situated  when  actual  war  began,  only  the 
responsibilities  imposed  by  his  father's  absence  pre 
vented  the  son  from  at  once  entering  the  army.  His 
older  brother,  John  Qnincy  Adams,  was  on  the  staff 
of  Governor  Andrew,  proving  his  capacity  and  aiding 
in  despatching  to  the  front  the  regiments  so  speed 
ily  sent  from  Massachusetts.  He  saw  his  college  and 
social  companions  eagerly  enrolling  their  names  and 
as  eagerly  accepted  for  service.  The  most  available 
member  of  the  family  for  the  army,  his  strong  sense  of 
duty  to  his  father  kept  him  back,  until  he  felt  that  his 
duty  to  his  country  overshadowed  all  other  calls.  Of 
his  service  in  the  war  he  has  given  a  bare  outline  in 
his  "Autobiography";  but  his  letters  are  far  more  de 
tailed,  and  describe,  as  is  nowhere  better  described,  the 
daily  life  of  a  cavalry  officer. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE  xi 

The  development  of  character  under  discipline  and 
experience,  the  ripening  of  mind  and  opinions  by  close 
contact  with  his  fellow  men  and  with  the  questions 
of  army  administration,  and  the  growing  richness  of 
observation  and  expression,  appear  in  his  letters.  He 
entered  the  army  a  restive,  unformed  youth,  without 
settled  ambition  or  recognized  powers;  he  left  it  a  man 
of  strengthened  mind,  of  broadened  views,  and  with  a 
defined  future  and  true  calling.  The  younger  Adams 
of  1865  was  a  far  different  being  from  the  younger 
Adams  of  1861,  and  he  always  looked  back  with  in 
terest  on  his  military  service  as  contributing  to  his 
later  success.  It  is  rare  to  find  a  soldier  capable  of 
giving  an  interesting  account  of  his  routine  duties, 
of  narrating  in  a  logical  manner  successive  events,  of 
speculating  justly  on  a  summary  of  facts,  or  of  sketch 
ing  in  a  few  words  a  man's  character  so  as  to  present  a 
vivid  likeness.  He  is  usually  inarticulate,  or  expends 
the  little  gift  he  has  in  minor  details  without  the  needed 
binding  relation.  Mr.  Adams  formed  the  exception. 
He  could  write  and  he  had,  though  unknown  to  him 
self,  the  best  qualities  of  the  historian. 

In  his  "Education"  Henry  Adams  has  given  a  self- 
drawn  representation  of  himself  as  a  "failure,"  and 
in  a  manner  that  awakens  astonishment  and  challenges 
examination.  To  have  been  successful  in  everything 
that  he  attempted  —  teaching,  science,  history,  fiction 
and  criticism  —  would  have  satisfied  an  ordinary  mor 
tal.  But  that  was  exactly  what  he  was  not,  and  the 
various  readings  given  to  his  confessions  prove  how 
exceptional  he  was.  He  also  passed  through  Harvard 


xii  INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

College,  had  thoughts  of  studying  law,  but  believed 
that  some  years  in  Europe  would  round  out  his  educa 
tion.  What  those  years  did  for  him  may  be  traced  in 
his  later  writings.  Before  their  effects  could  be  felt  he 
passed  the  winter  of  1860-61  in  Washington,  a  keen 
observer  of  passing  events,  forming  independent  judg 
ments  upon  them,  while  enjoying  to  the  full  the  advan 
tage  of  his  father's  opinions  and  relations  with  public 
men.  The  months  thus  spent  trained  his  powers  of 
observation  and  analysis,  so  fruitful  when  applied  to 
his  English  experience.  For  he  became  confidential 
secretary  to  his  father  in  London,  a  position  unrecog 
nized,  as  it  was  also  unpaid,  by  the  government.  He 
used  the  opportunity  wisely  and  with  advantage  to  the 
father. 

r  —  'His  early  letters  are  in  tone  very  like  his  "Educa- 
I  tion."  There  is  the  same  detachment,  the  same  quality 
of  Icritic  under  the  guise  of  philosopher,  the  same  per 
sistent  note  of  irony,  the  same  apparent  indifference 
toj-esults,  the  same,  though  less  defined,  gift  of  expres 
sion.!  It  has  been  said  that  it  was  a  "pose"  and  the 
man  was  insincere,  but  those  who  were  closest  to  him 
in  later  life  knew  that  such  a  charge  was  not  true.  JEIe 
was  keenly  interested  in  running  a  problem  to  earth  ; 


upon  the  achievement  as  rather  f  utile^unworthy  of  the 
effcuduaadfi.to^master  jt.  In  the  wealth  of  his  ability 
he  could  afford  to  take  such  a  position,  and  his  letters 
show  that  in  this  respect  his  whole  life  was  consistent. 
He  had  tasted  of  newspaper  correspondence  and  be 
lieved  he  could  cultivate  the  taste  when  in  London. 


;he  f 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE  xiii 

A  few  weeks  of  experience  proved  its  dangers.  This 
threw  him  much  upon  his  own  resources  and  the  result 
is  reflected  in  his  letters  and  later  writings.  It  cul 
tivated  an  independence  of  utterance,  and  strong  as 
must  have  been  the  influence  of  the  father,  it  is  not  the 
"official"  aspect  that  is  the  more  interesting. 

The  letters  open  with  the  Minister  on  his  way  to 
London,  with  his  son  Henry  as  secretary;  with  Charles 
on  temporary  garrison  duty  at  Fort  Independence  in 
Boston  harbor;  with  the  war  opened  and  the  North 
partially  aroused.  They  close  with  the  Minister's  great 
triumph  in  diplomacy  accomplished  and  with  the  son's 
retirement  from  the  army,  broken  in  health.  The  let 
ters/require  no  annotation.  The  history  of  the  War  of 
Secession  has  been  told  and  retold  in  its  every  phase, 
and  no  letters  could  relate  the  old  story  in  a  connected 
manner.  Yet  in  the  contemporary  record  which  follows 
will  be  found  no  little  new  history,  much  untold  detair, 
much  discussion,  many  rumors  and  predictions,  ex 
pressed  with  individuality  and  in  a  literary  form.  The 
progress  of  the  great  conflict  supplies  the  background, 
against  which  stand  prominently  personal  experiences, 
hopes  and  fears.  It  is  an  old  story,  but  the  manner 
of  telling  it  is  new,  all  the  more  remarkable  because 
unstudied  and  spontaneous. 

The  writing  of  autobiography  has  its  dangers,  the 
greatest  of  which  is  the  almost  inevitable  misjudgment 
of  motives  and  relations  viewed  after  years  of  riper 
attainment.  It  must  be  partial,  biassed,  or  lose  the 
very  quality  that  should  be  its  strength  or  justification. 
The  degree  of  error  depends  upon  the  generosity  or  the 


xiv  INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

narrowness  of  the  writer.  Each  of  the  two  sons  has 
related  his  life  history.  The  defect  of  partial  apprecia 
tion  is  evident  in  each  instance,  but  there  is  no  trace 
of  narrowness  associated  with  it.  Disinterestedness, 
magnanimity  and  self-control  are  shown  in  the  letters 
now  drawn  from  one  common  source.  These  qualities 
will  not  correct  the  impression  gained  from  a  true 
reading  of  the  "Autobiography"  and  the  "Educa 
tion,"  but  they  will  develop  other  and  deeper  attributes 
natural  to  the  writers,  yet  concealed  almost  to  sup 
pression  in  their  self-accusing  memoirs. 

WORTHINGTON  CHAUNCEY  FORD 
Boston,  September,  1920 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  Photogravure  frontispiece 

LlEUTENANT-COLONEL  HORACE  BlNNET  SARGENT  24 

CHARLES  SUMNER  54 

CASPAR  CROWNINSHIELD  80 

JOHN  BRIGHT  112 

No.  5  UPPER  PORTLAND  PLACE,  LONDON,  OCCUPIED  BY 

THE  AMERICAN  MINISTER  138 

GENERAL  ROBERT  WILLIAMS  156 

GEORGE  BRINTON  MCCLELLAN  194 

SURGEON  Lucius  MANLIUS  SARGENT  218 

MAJOR  HENRY  LEE  HIGGINSON  248 

THE  DUKE  OF  ARGYLL  252 


A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS 
1861 


A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  MOTHER 

Fort  Independence,  May  12,  1861 

THE  truth  is  that  in  garrison  life,  with  guard  duty  three 
times  in  two  weeks,  five  hours  drill  a  day  and  the  neces 
sity  of  waiting  on  oneself,  it  is  difficult  either  to  write  or 
read  much  in  a  room  about  the  size  of  our  bed-room 
in  Boston  in  which  eleven  other  men  are  quartered  — 
that  is  live,  eat  and  sleep  —  besides  myself.  Yet  I  like 
the  life  very  much  and  am  getting  as  rugged  and  hearty 
as  an  ox,  passing  all  my  time  in  eating,  drilling,  sleeping 
and  chaffing.  Our  mess  is  made  up  of  very  good  fellows 
indeed,  all  friends  of  mine,  such  men  as  Clark  and 
Pratt,  the  two  celebrated  rowers,  Tom  Motley,  Jr., 
Caspar  Crowninshield,  Fred  d'Hauteville,  etc.  Our 
life  is  one  of  rigid  garrison  duty :  reveille  at  half  past 
five  with  breakfast  at  six;  dress  parade  at  seven;  a 
squad  drill  at  eight  and  a  company  drill  at  ten;  at 
twelve  dinner  and  at  three  a  battalion  drill  which  lasts 
until  half  past  five,  when  we  have  an  evening  dress- 
parade,  which  finishes  work  for  those  off  guard  for  the 
day.  At  six  we  have  tea  and  amuse  ourselves  till  half 
past  nine,  when  tattoo  beats  and  we  go  to  bed  and  after 
a  little  sky-larking  quickly  to  sleep.  When  on  guard, 
which  every  man  is  about  twice  a  week,  it  is  rather 
restless,  as  for  twenty-four  hours  we  are  on  guard  two 


•4..  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [MAY  27. 

hours  and  off  four,  day  and  night,  and  properly  can't 
leave  the  guard  room;  but  as  our  mess  are  especial 
friends  of  the  sergeants  rules  are  rather  relaxed  in  our 
favor.  Food  is  tolerable,  coarse  but  enough,  though 
devilish  unclean  at  times.  In  our  mess  each  man.  takes 
his  turn  in  washing  up  the  dishes  and  keeping  the 
quarters  of  the  mess  clean.  So  once  in  ten  days  or  so 
visitors  see  the  best  blood  in  America,  in  the  person 
of  your  son,  washing  dishes,  sweeping  floors,  wheeling 
coal,  etc.,  like  a  family  servant.  Meanwhile  health  is 
superb  and  I  never  looked  so  browned  and  hearty  in 
my  life.  .  .  . 

Outside  we  hear  a  good  deal  of  a  raging  military 
ardor.  A  good  many  young  men  we  know  are  get 
ting  commissions,  especially  in  Gordon's  regiment,  and 
from  our  mess  three  men  went  up  in  one  day,  among 
them  George  R.  Russell's  son  Henry;  but  two  of  them 
came  back,  Hal  only  staying.  Sam  Quincy  they  say 
is  a  Captain.  Elliot  Parkman  has  a  commission  of 
some  sort  in  the  navy  and  Dick  Goodwin,  George 
Bangs,  Rufus  Choate,  Greely  and  Pelham  Curtis  and 
others  with  Gordon.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Quincy,  May  27,  1861 

I  GOT  out  here  last  Saturday  evening,  having  that  day 
been  relieved  at  Fort  Independence  by  the  4th  Bat 
talion  of  rifles.  We  would  like  to  have  stayed  there 
longer,  and  were  certainly  arriving  at  a  state  of  very 
considerable  proficiency  in  drill,  but  our  being  kept 
there  was  beginning  to  create  some  hard  feeling  and  the 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  5 

Governor  was  obliged  to  yield  to  the  pressure.  What 
will  be  done  with  us  now,  if  any  thing,  no  one  seems  to 
know.  I  hardly  think  they  will  leave  such  an  efficient 
body  of  men  alone  just  now,  and  yet  I  do  not  see  how 
we  can  be  profitably  employed.  That  we  shall  not  be 
sent  out  of  the  State  is  certain;  but  the  rumors  seem 
to  tend  towards  our  being  sent  to  the  State  camp  to 
serve  as  a  model  and  to  furnish  instructors,  and  ulti 
mately  to  be  used  as  a  supply  of  officers.  Meanwhile 
I  find  that  I  have  not  returned  a  day  too  early,  and 
that  my  presence  is  necessary  in  Boston  for  some  time 
to  come.  To  me  things  look  pretty  bad.  Money  is 
plenty,  but  lenders  are  very  timid.  Business  is  wholly 
dead  and  the  business  community  seems  to  be  calcu 
lating  as  to  whether  they  can  live  out  the  war  or  had 
better  go  down  now.  For  myself,  I  see  little  to  change 
the  views  I  have  entertained  all  along.  We  are  going 
into  this  war  too  heavily  to  have  it  last  long,  but  it  will 
be  an  awful  drag  while  it  does  last,  and  all  who  are  not 
under  short  sail  must  go  down.  I  do  not  believe  in 
getting  alarmed  or  in  the  eternal  ruin  of  the  country; 
but  a  great  deal  of  money  has  got  to  be  lost  and  all  who 
have,  have  got  to  lose  some,  be  it  more  or  less.  .  .  . 

Of  course  all  this  does  not  at  all  add  to  the  pleasure 
of  a  reluctant  return.  I  have  become  fond  of  military 
life  and  I  feel  ashamed  that  I  am  here  at  home  when  so 
many  of  my  friends  have  already  gone,  and  gone  in 
such  a  way.  I  do  not  wish  to  boast  of  what  I  should  do 
under  other  circumstances,  but  I  feel,  as  I  look  at  these 
tedious  and  repulsive  details  [of  business],  that  I  should 
tonight  sleep  perfectly  happy  if  tomorrow  I  could  hand 


6  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JUNE  3. 

them  all  over  to  anyone  yvho  would  take  them,  and 
for  myself  go  and  join  my  friends  in  camp.  I  could  get  a 
commission  and  a  good  one,  for  only  today  Dana  evi 
dently  wanted  to  advise  me  to  go  and  told  me  I  ought 
to  have  a  majority  if  I  wished  it.  ... 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  MOTHER 

Boston,  June  3,  1861 

THE  war  affords  them  [of  Quincy]  some  diversion  for 
their  thoughts  and  the  clash  of  arms  is  heard  even 
among  the  Quincy  exempts,  who  hail  John  Captain. 
I  drilled  them  the  other  evening  and  a  funnier  sight  I 
don't  want  to  see.  Imagine  a  line  of  pot-bellied,  round- 
shouldered  respectabilities  of  fifty  or  thereabouts  stand 
ing  in  two  rows  and  trying  to  dance,  and  you  have 
a  fair  idea  of  this  justly  celebrated  corps.  I  was  in 
finitely  delighted  when  on  glancing  down  the  ranks,  as 
I  came  the  heavy  military  on  them.  I  saw  Mr.  Robert 
son  and  Captain  Crane  side  by  side  in  the  front  rank, 
with  Mr.  Gill  and  poor  old  Flint  vainly  struggling  to 
cover  them  in  the  rear.  That  was  too  much  and  I 
almost  smiled  right  out  loud.  The  only  man  I  saw  who 
could  by  any  possibility  be  converted  into  a  soldier 
was,  unfortunately,  our  worthy  pastor,  Mr.  Wells,  who 
however  in  case  of  emergency  would  probably  have 
other  duties  to  perform.  There  he  was,  however,  with 
his  musket  in  his  hand  and  it  was  so  refreshing  to  see  a 
man  who  seemed  able  to  bend  his  back  that  I  asked 
John  to  make  him  a  sergeant  and  I  believe  he  promised 
that  he  would.  By  the  way,  I  really  do  believe  we  have 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  7 

drawn  quite  a  prize  in  Wells.  He  seems  to  have  pleased 
every  one  and  you  don't  know  how  strange  it  seems  to 
have  some  one  here  who  really  takes  an  interest  in  and 
means  to  manage  the  Parish.  I  had  a  short  talk  with 
him  the  other  evening  and  was  much  pleased.  He 
evidently  understands  the  people  here  and  is  going  to 
make  his  mark,  and  I  have  little  doubt  that  if  he  lives, 
you  '11  find  the  Parish  a  very  different  thing  when  you 
come  home  from  what  it  was  when  you  went  away.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  June  7,  1861 

FOR  after  all  that  may  be  said,  there  is  not  and  cannot 
be  any  assimilation  of  manners  and  social  habits  be 
tween  Americans  and  English  people.  All  intercourse 
with  the  aristocratic  class  is  necessarily  but  formal. 
We  are  invited  everywhere,  and  dine  out  almost  every 
day,  but  this  brings  us  no  nearer.  Everybody  is  civfl, 
but  each  one  has  his  interests  in  England,  so  that  a 
stranger  is  but  an  outsider  at  best.  .  .  . 

You  may  be  more  interested  to  know  a  little  about 
the  House  of  Commons.  My  diplomatic  privilege 
gives  me  the  entree  there,  and  I  have  used  it  twice. 
The  last  time  was  at  the  close  of  the  debate  on  the 
budget,  when  it  was  generally  understood  that  the  fate 
of  Mr.  Gladstone,  if  not  of  the  whole  Cabinet  hung  on 
the  decision.  More  than  six  hundred  members  were 
present,  and  the  array  showed  great  equality  on  the 
two  sides  of  the  House.  I  had  attended  on  the  Mon 
day  before  and  had  made  up  my  mind  that  if  the 


8  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JUNE  7, 

division  should  follow,  the  opposition  would  prevail 
by  a  decided  vote.  The  ministry  however  had  influence 
enough  to  command  an  adjournment,  and  on  Thursday 
the  case  stood  differently.  The  attack  was  neither 
so  vigorous  nor  so  confident,  whilst  the  defence  was 
bolder  and  more  strenuous.  The  first  effective  stroke 
came  from  Lord  John  Russell,  which  I  did  not  get  in 
time  to  hear.  The  next  was  from  Mr.  Cobden,  which 
was  plain,  direct  and  evidently  telling  on  the  House. 
The  decisive  blow  came,  however,  from  Mr.  Gladstone, 
who  stood  like  a  bull  in  the  arena  surrounded  by  dogs. 
He  began  by  tossing  the  very  last  one  who  had  attacked 
him,  and  he  went  on  with  every  one  in  tu,rn,  until  he 
had  them  all  sprawling  on  the  ground.  He  is  by  all 
odds  the  best  speaker  I  have  heard,  and  though  I  can 
not  think  him  a  very  great  man,  I  must  award  him 
the  palm  as  a  skilful  debater.  Lord  Palmerston  is 
evidently  powerful  more  from  his  character,  talents 
and  position,  than  from  any  oratorical  qualities.  The 
ministry  triumphed  by  fifteen  majority  only. 

The  characteristic  of  the  House  is  that  it  is  in  essence 
a  real  deliberative  body,  whilst  our  House  has  ceased 
to  be  one.  We  speak  to  the  people  and  not  to  the 
audience.  Hence  we  make  orations  and  not  speeches. 
I  know  not  how  this  can  be  remedied  in  America.  Some 
members  of  Parliament  tell  me  that  this  is  perceptibly 
growing  even  here.  So  it  must  be,  in  proportion  to 
the  control  which  the  people  exercise  over  their  repre 
sentatives.  . 


*  I 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  9 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Boston,  June  10,  1861 

I  AM  sorry  to  see  what  you  say  of  the  possibility  of  your 
demanding  your  passports.  Stocks  rose  in  New  York 
on  Saturday  owing  to  the  reported  tenor  of  your  de 
spatches,  which  must  however  have  been  of  a  tone  very 
different  from  your  letter  to  me.  Still  I  can't  help 
thinking  that  the 'tenor  of  the  news  from  this  country 
must  create  g#  improvement  in  England.  Now,  how 
ever,  the  feeling  here  is  very  bitter,  and  significant  inti- 
matiqps' "fall  from  some  of  the  leading  papers  that  the 
July  Congress,  while  it  modifies  the  Morrill  tariff  so  as 
to  assist  and  help  France  to  the  utmost  of  our  power,  will 
indulge  in  no  friendly  legislation  to  England.  This 
is  the  tone  of  the  Evening  Post,  a  free-trade  journal. 
If  England  wants  to  break  down  the  Morrill  tariff,  her 
only  course  is  to  take  the  back  track  and  conciliate  our 
good  will.  .  .  . 

About  this  war  business.  A  great  change  has  come 
over  my  feelings  since  you  left,  as  I  have  told  you,  and 
I  now  feel  not  only  a  strong  inclination  to  go  off,  but  a 
conviction  that  from  many  points  of  view  I  ought  to 
do  it.  I  am  twenty-six  years  old  and  of  course  have  a 
right  to  do  as  I  choose;  but  I  acknowledge,  as  I  have 
done  all  along,  that  great  regard  is  due  in  this  matter 
to  you  and  your  feelings,  and  now,  as  heretofore,  I 
shall  not  go  without  your  consent;  but  I  think  you 
ought  to  give  that  consent,  if,  under  certain  circum 
stances,  I  ask  for  it.  Undoubtedly  a  further  levy  will 


10  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [JUNE  10, 

soon  be  demanded  in  this  war  and  when  it  comes  there 
will  be  an  effort  made  in  this  state  to  send  forth  a 
model  regiment,  and  already  John  Palfrey  is  spoken  of 
as  its  colonel.  I  saw  Governor  Andrew  the  other  eve 
ning  and  he  promised  me  that,  in  that  or  any  other  regi 
ment  to  be  sent  from  Massachusetts,  if  I  would  apply, 
he  would  give  me  a  company.  Now  if  such  a  regiment 
is  raised,  I  wish  to  go  in  it,  and  I  think  I  have  a  right 
to  almost  demand  your  assent  to  my  doing  so.  How 
does  the  case  stand?  I  cannot  see  that  in  a  business 
point  of  view  I  am  very  necessary  to  you.  Your  prop 
erty  and  mine  would  be  just  as  safe  and  probably  better 
managed  in  the  hands  of  a  man  of  business,  or  Sam 
Frothingham  under  John's  supervision,  than  in  mine; 
and  of  this  you  must  be  aware.  So  how  is  my  presence 
here  necessary  to  you,  which  is  the  only  ground  on 
which  I  think  you  ought  to  object?  If  you  say  it  is,  I 
will  give  up  the  idea  still,  but  before  saying  so  I  ear 
nestly  hope  you  will  consider  the  matter  fairly.  You 
will  say  there  is  small  glory  in  a  civil  war,  and  this  is 
generally  true;  but  in  the  civil  war  in  England  or  in  the 
Revolution  here,  what  should  we  now  think  of  a  man 
who,  in  the  hour  of  greatest  danger,  sat  at  home  read 
ing  the  papers?  For  years  our  family  has  talked  of 
slavery  and  of  the  South,  and  been  most  prominent 
in  the  contest  of  words,  and  now  that  it  has  come  to 
blows,  does  it  become  us  to  stand  aloof  from  the  con 
flict?  It  is  not  as  if  I  were  an  only  son,  though  many 
such  have  gone;  but  your  family  is  large  and  it  seems  to 
me  almost  disgraceful  that  in  after  years  we  should  have 
it  to  say  that  of  them  all  not  one  at  this  day  stood  in 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  11 

arms  for  that  government  with  which  our  family  his 
tory  is  so  closely  connected.  I  see  all  around  me  going, 
but  I  sit  in  my  office  and  read  the  papers,  for  I  have 
nothing  else  to  do.  I  see  great  events  going  on,  and  a 
heroic  spirit  everywhere  flashing  out,  and  you  ask  me 
for  no  sufficient  cause  to  stifle  my  own  and,  when  sitting 
here  at  home,  I  am  convinced  of  my  failure  as  a  lawyer, 
to.  quietly  sink  into  a  real  estate  agent.  I  hope  you  will 
let  me  go,  for  if  you  should  and  I  return,  it  will  make  a 
man  of  me;  and  if  I  should  not  return  —  am  I  likely  to 
live  to  a  better  purpose  by  going  on  as  I  have  begun? 
Perhaps  the  occasion  will  not  demand  it.  Perhaps  no 
such  regiment  will  be  raised.  If  it  should  so  happen, 
however,  I  earnestly  hope  for  our  own  credit  and  that  of 
our  name,  that  you  will  make  no  objection  to  my  taking 
this  commission  which  now  I  have  but  to  ask  for,  and 
going  forth  to  sustain  the  government  and  to  show  that 
in  this  matter^our  family  means  what  it  says.  ...  ,/ 

CHAKLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  June  14,  1861 
.«*    i          .          .'      \          .          .          .          . 

MY  position  here  thus  far  has  not  been  difficult  or  pain 
ful.  If  I  had  followed  the  course  of  some  of  my  colleagues 
in  the  diplomatic  line  this  country  might  have  been  on 
the  high  road  to  the  confederate  camp  before  now.  It 
did  not  seem  to  me  to  be  expedient  so  to  play  into  the 
hands  of  our  opponents.  Although  there  has  been  and 
is  more  or  less  of  sympathy  with  the  slaveholders  in  cer 
tain  circles,  they  are  not  so  powerful  as  to  overbear  the 
general  sentiment  of  the  people.  The  ministry  has  been 


12  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [JUNE  is, 

placed  in  rather  delicate  circumstances,  when  a  small 
loss  of  power  on  either  extreme  would  have  thrown 
them  out.  You  can  judge  of  this  by  the  vote  on  the 
Chancellor's  budget  which  was  apparently  carried  by 
fifteen,  but  really  by  the  retirement  of  opponents  from 
the  division.  The  difficulty  seems  now  to  be  removed. 
No  farther  test  vote  is  expected  at  this  session.  I  think 
they  are  at  heart  more  friendly  to  the  United  States 
than  the  Conservatives,  though  the  question  is  not 
raised  between  them.  I  am  therefore  endeavoring  to 
establish  such  relations  with  them  as  may  re-establish 
the  confidence  between  the  countries  which  has  been 
somewhat  shaken  of  late.  Circumstances  beyond  my 
control  will  have  more  to  do  with  the  result  for  good  or 
for  evil  than  any  efforts  of  mine.  I  wait  with  patience 
—  but  as  yet  I  have  not  gone  so  far  as  to  engage  a 
house  for  more  than  a  month  at  a  time.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  MOTHER 

Boston,  June  18,  1861 

BEFORE  this  reaches  you,  you  will  have  heard  of  the 
miserable  affair  at  Great  Bethel  which  has  made  so 
much  noise  here.  You  see  a  Quincy  man  was  killed  — 
young  Souther,  a  brother  of  our  one-armed  friend. 
Our  flags  out  there  were  hung  at  half  mast  for  a  day 
and  loud  swearing,  there  as  elsewhere,  was  heard  at  and 
about  Brigadier  General  Peirce.  It  was  a  bad  affair 
and  John  Palfrey  writes  that  two  companies  of  regu 
lars  would  have  carried  the  battery  with  ease,  but  this 
is  the  beginning  of  our  militia  generalship  and,  alas, 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  13 

that  this  should  have  been  a  Massachusetts  man.  In 
fact  our  good  old  State,  which  began  this  war  so  well, 
is  likely  after  going  up  like  a  rocket  to  come  down  like 
a  stick,  and  she  is  now  rapidly  falling  behindhand. 
While  other  states  have  sent  out  from  one  to  twenty 
regiments  of  three  year  men,  she  has  sent  out  her  first 
only  last  week  and  that  one  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Cowdin,  a  notorious  incompetent.  In  fact 
Gordon's  regiment  is  the  only  decent  one,  so  far  as  I  can 
hear,  yet  organized  in  Massachusetts  and  the  others 
are  so  wretchedly  officered  and  so  thoroughly  demoral 
ized  already  that  it  will  be  almost  a  miracle  if  the  State 
is  not  soon  disgraced.  In  fact  Andrew  does  not  show 
that  capacity  which  he  gave  promise  of  and  his  selec 
tions  of  men  so  far  have,  I  should  say,  been  wretched. 
I  hope  the  next  batch  from  here  which  will  probably  be 
called  for  and  organized  in  July  and  August  will  show 
an  improvement,  and  that  we  shall  then  send  out  some 
superior  men,  those  whom  we  are  now  sending  out  hav 
ing  previously  demonstrated  their  incompetence.  ... 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  June  21,  1861 

WITH  respect  to  his  [Sumner's]  language  about  Gov 
ernor  Seward  I  very  much  regret  it  for  the  sake  of  the 
public  interest.  He  is  sowing  the  seeds  of  discord  where 
we  ought  to  have  a  more  perfect  union.  He  is  dis 
seminating  distrust  in  our  Government  when  it  de 
pends  upon  confidence.  I  am  surprised  to  find  how 
very  general  the  dislike  of  the  Governor  is  in  society 


14  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [JUNE  21. 

here.  The  English  express  fear  of  his  intentions  to 
wards  them  and  intimate  suspicions  of  his  duplicity, 
whilst  among  Americans  he  finds  only  here  and  there 
a  defender.  In  one  or  two  cases  I  have  already  traced 
these  impressions  to  their  source  in  America,  and  I 
think  I  see  the  channels  through  which  they  are  con 
ducted.  How  much  harm  they  may  be  doing  cannot 
yet  be  appreciated.  But  if  by  means  of  them  we  should 
be  plunged  into  a  war  solely  from  misunderstandings 
of  our  reciprocal  intentions,  we  might  come  to  con 
ceive  an  idea  of  it.  I  believe  that  events  are  gradually 
working  us  out  of  this  danger.  But  I  suspect  that  the 
mischief  has  been  considerable,  and  that  we  shall  feel 
the  effect  of  it  in  our  future  relations  with  this  country 
for  a  good  while  to  come.  So  far  as  I  can,  I  have  done 
my  best  to  counteract  it. 

The  general  impression  here  is  that  there  will  be  no 
war,  and  a  little  apprehension  is  expressed  lest  the  re 
union  may  be  the  signal  for  a  common  crusade  against 
Great  Britain.  People  do  not  quite  understand  Amer 
icans  or  their  politics.  They  think  this  a  hasty  quar 
rel,  the  mere  result  of  passion,  which  will  be  arranged 
as  soon  as  the  cause  of  it  shall  pass  off.  They  do  not 
comprehend  the  connection  which  slavery  has  with 
it,  because  we  do  not  at  once  preach  emancipation. 
Hence  they  go  to  the  other  extreme  and  argue  that  it 
is  not  an  element  of  the  struggle.  With  the  commercial 
men  the  wish  is  father  to  the  thought.  They  look  with 
some  uneasiness  to  the  condition  of  the  operatives  at 
Manchester,  to  the  downfall  of  Southern  State  stocks, 
to  the  falling  off  of  the  exports  of  goods  and  the  drain  of 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  15 

specie,  to  the  exclusion  from  the  seaports  by  the  block 
ade,  and  to  the  bad  debts  of  their  former  customers, 
for  all  which  their  sole  panacea  is  settlement,  somehow, 
no  matter  how.  If  it  be  by  a  recognition  of  two  govern 
ments,  that  is  as  good  a  way  as  any  other.  On  the 
other  hand  I  now  look  to  something  of  a  war.  We  are 
in  it  and  cannot  get  out.  The  slaveholding  politicians 
must  go  down  or  there  will  be  no  permanent  peace. 
I  confess  that  in  this  sense  I  look  with  some  anxiety  to 
the  meeting  of  Congress.  I  know  not  who  there  is  now 
to  give  a  right  tone  to  its  proceedings.  Possibly  some 
of  the  new  men  may  come  in  and  contribute  to  help  on 
the  work.  Judge  Thomas  has  a  reputation  as  a  lawyer, 
and  he  has  also  been  a  little  of  a  legislator  as  long  ago 
as  when  I  was  with  him,  but  this  is  a  new  field.  I  hope 
and  trust  he  may  do  well.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Boston,  July  2,  1861 

THERE  is  little  news  politically,  for  I  am  no  longer  in 
the  way  of  getting  it.  There  is  a  marked  improvement 
in  the  general  feeling  and  in  the  tone  of  the  press 
towards  England  and  my  apprehensions  of  trouble 
would  have  entirely  subsided  but  that  I  cannot  but 
fear  future  trouble  on  account  of  this  blockade.  I  fear 
that  it  is  not  effective  and  that  some  blundering  Brit 
ish  admiral  will  undertake  to  raise  it  for  that  reason, 
and  this  will  surely  lead  to  trouble.  Neither  do  I  be 
lieve  that  our  blockade  is  likely  to  be  effective  in  less 
than  a  hundred  days.  There  are  rumors,  and  pretty 


16  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JULY* 

well  authenticated,  that  Seward  is  losing  ground  in 
Washington  and  in  New  York  very  fast.  Sumner  has 
been  here  fiercely  denouncing  him  for  designing,  as  he 
asserts,  to  force  the  country  into  a  foreign  war,  and 
Mr.  George  Morey  tells  me  that  to  checkmate  this, 
Suinner  intends  on  the  opening  of  Congress  to  make  a 
speech  on  our  foreign  relations  in  which  he  will  declare 
his  entire  satisfaction  with  the  position  of  England  and 
France.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  Tuesday,  July  2,  1861 

MY  letters  in  the  [New  York]  Times  will  give  you 
pretty  much  all  I  have  to  say  about  politics.  They  are 
very  correctly  printed;  at  least  the  three  first  which  are 
all  that  have  reached  me.  There  is  no  doubt  in  my  mind 
that  all  the  trouble  with  England  arose  from  a  mere 
blunder  of  the  Ministry  resulting  from  the  suddenness 
of  the  change  in  affairs  with  us.  Here  it  seems  to  have 
been  thought  with  reason  that  the  dissolution  of  the 
Union  would  go  as  it  were  by  default,  without  much 
resistance,  and  the  Ministry  and  even  our  warmest 
friends  thought  that  this  would  be  best  for  us  as  well  as 
for  themselves.  The  English  are  really  on  our  side;  of 
that  I  have  no  doubt  whatever.  But  they  thought  that 
as  a  dissolution  seemed  inevitable  and  as  we  seemed  to 
have  made  up  our  minds  to  it,  that  their  Proclamation 
was  just  the  thing  to  keep  them  straight  with  both 
sides,  and  when  it  turned  out  otherwise  they  did  their 
best  to  correct  their  mistake.  America  seems  clean 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  17 

daft.  She  seems  to  want  to  quarrel  with  all  the  world, 
and  now  that  England  has  eaten  her  humble-pie  for 
what  was,  I  must  say,  a  natural  mistake  from  her  point 
of  view,  I  cannot  imagine  why  we  should  keep  on 
sarsing  her.  It  certainly  is  not  our  interest  and  I  have 
done  and  shall  do  all  I  can,  to  bring  matters  straight. 
As  a  counterpart  to  my  letters  in  the  Times,  I  am 
looking  round  here  for  some  good  paper  to  take  you  as 
its  American  correspondent.  I  don't  know  that  I  can 
get  one,  but  certainly  it  will  be  a  good  while  before  a 
fair  chance  is  likely  to  happen.  When  it  does  I  will  let 
you  know. 

Seward's  tone  has  improved  very  much  since  that 
crazy  despatch  that  frightened  me  so.  If  the  Chief  had 
obeyed  it  literally,  he  would  have  made  a  war  in  five 
minutes  and  annihilated  our  party  here  in  no  time  at 
all.  As  it  is  we  have  worried  through  safely  and  are  not 
likely  to  have  much  more  trouble.  There  is  nothing  in 
the  way  of  particulars  to  give  you  so  far  as  I  know,  for 
there  has  been  no  great  scene  nor  have  I  met  with  any 
very  remarkable  event.  Our  presentation  was  only 
memorable  to  my  mind  from  having  caused*a  relapse 
for  me,  which  frightened  me  nearly  to  dWth. 

As  to  your  going  to  the  war,  I  will  tell  you  plainly 
how  the  case  seems  to  me  to  stand.  The  Chief  is  un 
willing  to  do  anything  about  it.  His  idea  is  that  the  war 
will  be  short  and  that  you  will  only  destroy  all  your 
habits  of  business  without  gaming  anything.  If  you 
will  take  my  advice  you  will  say  no  more  about  it; 
only  make  arrangements  so  as  not  to  be  taken  by  sur 
prise,  and  when  the  time  comes,  just  write  and  notify 


18  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JULY  9, 

him.  He  will  consent  to  that  as  a  fait  accompli,  which 
he  cannot  take  the  responsibility  of  encouraging  him 
self 

Send  us  maps  of  the  seat  of  war  —  the  best  ones. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  MOTHEB 

Boston,  July  9,  1861 

**   .          .          .          . 

YESTERDAY  we  [the  Battalion]  went  out  to  escort  Gor 
don's  regiment  off  —  the  one  raised  by  the  subscrip 
tion  of  the  Boston  gentlemen.  There  were,  as  I  have 
told  you,  lots  of  my  friends  in  it,  and  I  should  have  been, 
sorry  not  to  have  bid  them  good-bye;  but  not  till  they 
were  gone  did  I  find  that  the  one  I  should  most  wished 
to  have  seen  was  gone,  and  I  did  n't  even  see  him  as,  the 
train  went  off.  For  Stephen  Perkins  joined  as  a  Second 
Lieutenant  at  the  last  minute,  and  I  did  n't  know  the 
fact  till  he  was  on  his  way  to  Virginia.  It  made  me  feel 
quite  badly  and  I  have  n't  got  over  it  yet.  Off  they  all 
went,  however,  and  apparently  in  good  spirits  and  full 
of  life  and  hope,  and  the  last  I  saw  of  the  train,  Wilder 
Dwight,  rapidly  disappearing  on  its  last  platform,  was 
waving  his  hat  and  dancing  a  saraband  at  me,  which 
I  returned  from  the  pile  of  gravel  on  which  we  were 
drawn  up,  with  my  whole  heart.  Sam  Quincy  was 
swept  by  me  as  he  stood  on  the  lower  step  of  a  platform 
looking  at  his  old  friends  in  the  cadets,  but  I  did  not 
catch  his  eye.  He  looked  much  as  usual.  When  Hal 
Russell  passed  he  caught  my  eye  and  went  through  a 
war  dance,  with  that  eager  look  on  his  face  which  a  man 
has  when  bidding  good-bye  to  old  friends  on  his  way 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  19 

to  the  wars,  and  when  he  only  recollects  pleasant  things 
about  them;  but  Stephen  Perkins  I  did  n't  see,  even  as 
the  train  went  by.  They're  on  their  way  now  and  I 
certainly  envy  them  very  much.  Next  comes  Frank 
Palfrey  and  then  there  is  n't  much  of  any  one  to  go 
after  that.  John  Palfrey  has  come  home,  by  the  way, 
sick  —  a  typhoid  fever,  but  the  symptoms  are  said  to 
be  mild.  He  was  over- worked  in  the  sun,  surveying, 
but  they  do  not  seem  to  be  apprehensive.  Caspar 
Crowninshield  has  got  home  from  Washington  and 
expects  a  commission  in  the  regular  army,  and,  I  have 
little  doubt,  will  get  it.  ... 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  July  18,  1861 

I  HAVE  engaged  a  house 1  which  will  I  hope  be  more 
convenient.  It  is  not  in  quite  so  fashionable  or  so  noisy 
a  situation,  but  it  is  amply  and  in  some  respects  richly 
furnished,  and  is  in  a  very  good  neighborhood.  My 
engagement  is  only  for  a  year,  and  even  that  may  be 
shortened  if  the  Earl  of  Derby  should  come  into  the 
ministry.  For  my  landlord,  who  is  in  Parliament, 
hopes  to  get  back  to  the  same  place  he  had  before, 
Under  Secretary  for  Foreign  AJffairs,  in  which  contin 
gency  he  will  want  his  house  in  May  next.  In  the  exact 
condition  of  our  affairs  I  have  not  considered  the  ar 
rangement  so  bad  as  I  might  otherwise  have  done.  Our 
relations  with  this  country  are  now  in  a  promising 

1  No.  5  Mansfield  Street,  belonging  to  Sir  William  Robert  Seymour 
Vesey  Fitzgerald. 


20  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [JULY  is, 

condition.  I  have  no  idea  that  anybody  means  war. 
But  a  blockade  which  shuts  up  the  cotton  crop  is  not 
unlikely  to  try  the  nerves  of  our  friends  a  little,  and  to 
elicit  causes  of  difference  that  may  prove  difficult  to 

settle 

I  think  I  have  attained  a  tolerable  idea  of  the  texture 
of  London  society.  I  have  seen  most  of  the  men  of  any 
reputation,  literary  or  political.  The  conclusion  is  not 
favorable,  so  far  as  the  comparison  with  other  periods 
is  concerned.  Lord  Palmerston,  Mr.  Gladstone,  Lord 
John  Russell  and  Lords  Derby  and  Ellenborough  are 
the  orators.  Mr.  D'Israeli  perhaps  might  be  included. 
Thackeray,  Senior,  Monckton  Milnes,  Grote,  Lord 
Stanhope,  and  Mr.  Reeve,  the  editor  of  the  Edinburgh 
Review,  constitute  pretty  much  the  ^literature.  Per 
haps  I  should  include  Milman.  Gladstone  and  Corne- 
wall  Lewis  are  the  scholar  politicians.  Intermixed  with 
all  these  are  men  of  education,  if  not  of  eminence,  who 
contribute  a  share  to  the  common  stock  of  society. 
But  I  have  not  yet  been  to  a  single  entertainment 
where  there  was  any  conversation  that  I  should  care  to 
remember.  This  is  not  much  of  a  record  as  compared 
with  the  early  part  of  the  present  or  the  close  of  the 
last  century,  with  the  days  of  Queen  Anne,  or  of  Eliza 
beth.  The  general  aspect  of  society  is  profound  gravity. 
People  look  serious  at  a  ball,  at  a  dinner,  on  a  ride  on 
horseback  or  in  a  carriage,  in  Parliament  or  at  Court, 
in  the  theatres  or  at  the  galleries.  The  great  object  in 
life  is  social  position.  To  this  end  domestic  establish 
ments  are  sustained  to  rival  each  other.  The  horses 
must  be  fine,  the  carriage  as  large  and  cumbrous  as 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  21 

possible,  the  servants  as  showy  in  livery  as  anybody's, 
the  dinners  must  be  just  so,  the  china  of  Sevres  and 
the  plate  of  silver,  the  wines  of  the  same  quality  and 
growth,  not  because  each  person  takes  pleasure  in  the 
display,  but  because  everybody  else  does  the  same 
thing.  And  so  it  is  through  all  the  economy  of  social 
life.  The  difference  is  only  in  the  amount  of  wealth 
applicable  to  each  particular  instance.  Yet  with  all 
this  there  is  a  studied  avoidance  of  all  appearance  of 
ostentation.  It  is  not  the  fashion  to  parade  titles, 
scarcely  even  to  use  them.  I  do  not  think  I  have  heard 
even  the  most  ordinary  forms  of  address  to  the  nobility 
resorted  to  more  than  a  dozen  times  or  so.  At  one 
dinner  I  was  surprised  to  hear  a  lady  spoken  to  several 
times  as  "Duchess"  rather  than  "your  Grace."  But 
etiquette  is  rigid.  A  white  cravat  at  dinner  is  indis 
pensable,  as  well  as  patent  leather  shoes,  and  each  per 
son  has  his  distinct  place  according  to  the  rules  which 
are  laid  down  in  the  books,  in  which  he  must  fulfil  all 
his  duties  to  every  other  person  in  every,  the  most 
exact  particular. 

Some  people  say  this  is  true  of  the  London  season 
only.  When  these  same  people  go  to  their  estates  in 
the  country  the  case  is  altered.  There  they  are  easy 
and  sociable.  It  may  be  so,  but  I  doubt  it.  The  Eng 
lishman  is  formal  by  nature,  and  he  is  made  so  by 
education.  The  only  question  with  him  is  upon  the 
greater  or  the  less.  His  kindness  is  all  according  to  rule. 
If  he  invites  you  to  his  house,  he  does  not  think  it  any 
part  of  his  duty  to  put  you  at  your  ease  there.  You 
must  work  your  own  way  to  acquaintance.  He  will  not 


22  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [JULY  23, 

help  you  unless  you  ask  him  to  do  so,  and  if  you  do,  you 
subject  yourself  to  a  chance  of  being  repelled,  unless 
your  situation  is  such  as  to  make  your  acquaintance 
deemed  desirable.  This  is  the  reason  why  strangers 
make  so  little  headway  in  incorporating  themselves 
into  society,  and  why  they  seek  other  countries  to 
dwell  in.  I  know  of  many  Americans  in  London,  but 
I  see  scarcely  any  in  the  places  I  am  invited  to,  and 
these  owe  their  admission  to  some  exceptional  recom 
mendation  rather  than  civility  or  good  will.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Boston,  July  23,  1861 

I  DON'T  see  any  good  in  my  saying  anything  of  the  dis 
graceful  and  disastrous  battle  of  yesterday.  The  im 
pression  here  is  very  general  that  Seott's  policy  was 
interfered  with  by  the  President  in  obedience  to  what 
he  calls  the  popular  will  and  at  the  instigation  of 
Sumner,  Greeley  and  others,  and  the  advance  was 
ordered  by  Scott  only  after  a  written  protest.  The  re 
sult  was  a  tremendous  and  unaccountable  panic,  such 
as  raw  troops  are  necessarily  liable  to  on  a  field  of  bat 
tle  in  a  strange  country,  and  it  all  closed  in  the  loss  of 
guns,  colors,  equipage,  and  even  honor.  Almost  the 
first  idea  that  occurred  to  me  was  the  disastrous  effect 
of  this  affair  on  you  in  your  position.  I  do  not  see  how 
foreign  nations  can  refuse  to  acknowledge  the  Con 
federacy  now,  for  they  are  a  government  de  facto  and 
this  result  looks  very  much  as  though  they  could  main 
tain  themselves  as  such.  In  any  case  I  no  longer  see  my 


1861.] 


A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS 


way  clear.  Scott's  campaign  is  wholly  destroyed  and 
he  must  now  go  to  work  and  reconstruct  it.  While  our 
army  is  demoralised,  theirs  is  in  the  same  degree  con 
solidated.  Their  ultimate  independence  is  I  think  as 
sured,  but  this  defeat  tends  more  and  more  to  throw 
the  war  into  the  hands  of  the  radicals,  and  if  it  lasts  a 
year,  it  will  be  a  war  of  abolition.  Everything  is  set 
back  for  at  least  six  months  and  just  now,  though  not 
at  all  discouraged  or  disheartened,  we  feel  here  much  as 
if  we  had  been  knocked  over  the  head  and  had  not  yet 
recovered  the  use  of  our  senses.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  July  26,  1861 

* 

You  say  that  you  wanted  to  go  off  with  Gordon's  regi 
ment.  I  tell  you  I  would  give  my  cocked  hat  and  knee- 
breeches  to  be  with  them  at  this  moment.  I  don't  un 
derstand  being  sorry  for  them.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
barring  a  few  lives  and  legs  and  arms  lost,  they  '11  all 
like  it  and  be  the  better  for  it.  And  as  for  the  lives  and 
legs,  if  they  estimate  theirs  as  low  as  I  do  mine,  the  loss 
won't  amount  to  much.  Pain  is  the  only  thing  I  should 
fear,  but  after  all,  one's  health  is  just  as  likely  to  be 
benefitted  as  to  be  hurt  by  a  campaign,  bullets  and  all, 
so  that  this  does  n't  count.  My  own  task  however  lies 
elsewhere  and  I  should  be  after  all  hardly  the  material 
for  a  soldier;  so  that  I  do  my  own  work  and  resign  the 
hope  of  becoming  a  hero. 

My  good  old  Nick  Anderson  is  a  Lieut.  Colonel,  I 
see.   How  I'd  like  to  see  him.   I  suppose  Rooney  Lee 


24  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [AUG.  5, 

has  some  command  also,  so  it 's  as  likely  as  not  that  he 
and  Nick  may  come  in  contact.  There  never  was  any 
friendship  between  them.  Indeed  they  always  hated 
each  other,  so  that  the  collision  would  not  be  so  painful 
to  either  of  them  as  it  might  be.  There  are  so  many  of 
our  friends  in  the  army  now  and  under  fire,  that  I 
watch  with  curiosity  the  lists  of  casualties.  It  won't 
be  long  before  something  happens,  I  suppose.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHAELES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  August  5,  1861 

WE  received  yesterday  the  news  of  our  defeat  at  Bull's 
Run,  and  today  your  letter  and  John's  with  some 
papers  have  arrived.  Though  I  do  not  see  that  this 
check  necessarily  involves  all  the  serious  consequences 
that  you  draw  from  it,  I  am  still  sufficiently  impressed 
by  it  to  decide  me  to  take  a  step  that  I  have  for  some 
time  thought  of.  If  you  and  John  are  detained  from 
taking  part  in  the  war,  the  same  rule  does  not  apply  to 
me.  I  am  free  to  act  as  I  please,  and  from  the  taste  I 
have  had  of  London  life,  I  see  no  reason  for  my  sacri 
ficing  four  years  to  it.  ... 

I  wish  you,  then,  on  the  receipt  of  this  to  go  to  some 
one  in  authority  and  get  a  commission  for  me,  if  you 
can;  no  matter  what,  second,  third  Lieutenant  or  En 
sign,  if  you  can  do  no  better.  They  ought  to  be  willing 
to  let  me  have  as  much  as  that.  If  you  can  induce  the 
Governor  to  promise  this,  see  if  you  can  find  some  fellow 
I  know  for  a  Captain.  They  say  Horace  Sargent  is 
going  home  immediately  to  raise  a  regiment.  I  would 
serve  under  him  and  perhaps  other  Boston  fellows 


LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  HORACE  BINNEY  SARGENT 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  25 

would  be  mustered  under  him  so  as  to  make  it  pleasant. 
If  you  decide  ultimately  to  go  in  as  Captain,  I  could 
serve  under  you.  At  any  rate  I  wish  to  have  a  commis 
sion,  and  if  you  succeed  in  arranging  it,  let  me  know 
at  once,  by  telegraph,  if  you  can.  I  can  be  on  the  way 
home  in  three  weeks  from  this  time,  almost.  A  day's 
notice  is  ample  for  me  here,  and  as  I  know  nothing  of  war 
or  drill  and  don't  care  to  learn  a  drill  here  that  I  might 
have  to  unlearn,  it  will  be  necessary  for  me  to  begin  at 
once.  I  don't  know  that  I  should  n't  start  tomorrow 
and  march  in  on  you  with  this  letter,  if  it  were  n't  that 
I  don't  like  to  be  precipitate,  and  that  I  want  to  watch 
things  here  for  a  while.  I  presume  there  will  be  rest 
lessness  here,  though  I  still  believe  that  England  will 
prove  herself  more  our  friend  than  we  suppose.  .  .  . 

I  wish  you  to  understand  that  I  am  in  earnest  and 
that  if  you  can  get  me  the  place  and  don't,  I  shall  try  to 
get  it  by  other  means.  As  for  reasons  for  it,  your  own 
arguments  apply  with  double  force  to  me.  Until  now 
I  have  thought  it  my  duty  to  do  what  I  have  done. 
But  as  the  reasons  why  I  should  stay  decrease,  the 
reasons  for  going  into  the  army  increase,  and  this  last 
battle  turns  the  scale.  It  makes  no  difference  whether 
you  go  or  not.,  I  am  the  youngest  and  the  most  inde 
pendent  of  all  others,  and  I  claim  the  right  to  go  as 
younger  son,  if  on  no  other  grounds. 

You  need  not  apprehend  difficulty  on  this  side.  .  .  . 
If  [your  reply]  is  favorable  I  shall  leave  here  in  the  first 
steamer,  and  the  first  positive  knowledge  they  will 
have  of  it  here,  will  be  simultaneous  with  my  depar 
ture.  Papa  will  not  interfere.  He  never  does,  in  cases 


26  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [AUG.  5, 

where  his  sons  choose  to  act  on  their  own  responsibil 
ity,  whatever  he  may  think.  Mamma  has  been  preach 
ing  the  doctrine  too  long  to  complain  if  it  hits  her  at 
last. 

We  are  going  on  as  usual  here  except  that  we  have 
got  into  our  new  house  which  is  a  great  improvement. 
I  have  two  large  rooms  on  the  third  story  which  I  have 
been  making  comfortable.  Braggiotti  is  here ;  dines  with 
us  tomorrow. 

*k 

P.S.  August  26.  After  studying  over  the  accounts  of 
the  battle  and  reading  Russell's  letter  to  the  Times, 
I  hardly  know  whether  to  laugh  or  cry.  Of  all  the 
ridiculous  battles  that  ever  were  fought,  this  seems  to 
me  the  most  so.  To  a  foreigner  or  to  any  one  not  in 
terested  in  it,  the  account  must  be  laughable  in  the 
extreme.  But  the  disgrace  is  frightful.  The  expose  of 
the  condition  of  our  army  is  not  calculated  to  do  us  any 
thing  but  the  most  unmixed  harm  here,  though  it  may 
have  the  good  effect  at  home  of  causing  these  evils  to 
be  corrected.  If  this  happens  again,  farewell  to  our 
country  for  many  a  day.  Bull's  Run  will  be  a  by-word 
of  ridicule  for  all  time.  Our  honor  will  be  utterly  gone. 
But  yesterday  we  might  have  stood  against  the  world. 
Now  none  so  base  to  do  us  reverence.  Let  us  stop  our 
bragging  now  and  hence-forward.  Throw  Bull's  Run 
in  the  teeth  of  any  man  who  dares  to  talk  large.  In 
spite  of  my  mortification,  I  could  not  help  howling  with 
laughter  over  a  part  of  Russell's  letter.  Such  a  battle 
of  heels.  Such  a  bloodless,  ridiculous  race  for  disgrace, 
history  does  not  record.  Unpursued,  untouched,  with- 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  27 

out  once  having  even  crossed  bayonets  with  the  enemy, 
we  have  run  and  saved  our  precious  carcasses  from  a 
danger  that  did  not  exist.  Our  flag,  what  has  become 
of  it?  Who  will  respect  it?  What  can  we  ever  say  for 
it  after  this? 

My  determination  to  come  home  is  only  increased 
by  this  disgrace.  I  cannot  stay  here  now  to  stand  the 
taunts  of  every  one  without  being  able  to  say  a  word  in 
defence.  Unless  I  hear  from  you  at  once,  I  shall  write 
myself  to  Governor  Andrew  and  to  Mr.  Dana  and  to 
every  one  else  I  can  think  of,  and  raise  Heaven  and 
earth  to  get  a  commission.  If  we  must  be  beaten,  and 
it  looks  now  as  though  that  must  ultimately  be  the 
case,  I  want  to  do  all  I  can  not  to  be  included  among 
those  who  ran  away.  Our  accounts  say  nothing  of  the 
Massachusetts  regiments.  So  far  as  we  have  learned, 
the  Pennsylvania  and  foreign  regiments  are  the  only 
ones  known  to  have  disgraced  themselves,  and  the 
Rhode  Island  ones  stood  well.  Hurry  up  and  send  me 
my  commission  quick. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  August  16,  1861 

WE  have  now  gone  through  three  stages  of  this  great 
political  disease.  The  first  was  the  cold  fit,  when  it 
seemed  as  if  nothing  would  start  the  country.  The 
second  was  the  hot  one,  when  it  seemed  almost  in  the 
highest  continual  delirium.  The  third  is  the  process 
of  waking  to  the  awful  reality  before  it.  I  do  not  ven 
ture  to  predict  what  the  next  will  be.  I  hope  anything 


28  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [AUG.  23, 

but  distraction.  Thus  far  the  favorable  feature  has 
been  union.  Maintaining  that,  we  can  bear  a  great 
deal.  But  unless  we  can  have  a  principle  to  contend 
for,  the  money  question  will  infallibly  shake  us  to 
pieces.  I  am  for  this  reason  anxious  to  grapple  with  the 
slave  question  at  once.  I  wish  to  settle  it  in  the  Dis 
trict  of  Columbia,  to  dispose  of  it  prospectively  in 
Maryland,  and  wherever  else  we  have  a  hold  in  the 
slave  states.  Money  spent  in  smoothing  that  road  is  far 
better  used  than  in  war.  It  will  spread  our  real  strength 
which  mere  military  supremacy  will  not.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Boston,  August  23,  1861 

I  DID  N'T  get  your  letter  of  the  5th  until  the  steamer  of 
the  21st  was  gone,  so  I  telegraphed  to  Mr.  Motley  at 
Halifax,  as  I  did  n't  want  to  have  you  come  blundering 
home  under  the  impression  that  I  had  been  ordered  off, 
and  now  I  will  at  once  answer  your  letter.  If  you  insist 
upon  coming  home  and  getting  a  commission,  of  course 
you  are  of  age  and  no  one  can  gainsay  you.  I  don't 
favor  the  idea  myself  for  reasons  which  I  will  give  you 
presently;  but  still  if  you  insist  I  shall  be  glad  to  aid 
you  and  will  do  so.  In  this  war  some  things  are  getting 
dear  every  day  and  one  is  that  volunteers  won't  do, 
and  another  that  haste  makes  waste.  If  you  insist  on 
going,  Ritchie  advises  that  you  should  get  a  commis 
sion  in  the  regular  army  and  go  into  that.  It  will  be 
cut  down  at  the  end  of  the  war  and  meanwhile  you  '11 
escape  the  curse,  nuisance  and  danger  of  volunteers. 
If  your  mind  is  made  up  I  will  apply  for  you  and  you 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  29 

can  doubtless  get  your  commission  and  be  ready  for  a 
winter  campaign.  Meanwhile  you '11  gain  nothing  but 
blunders  by  rushing  ahead  so  like  the  devil. 

So  much  for  that;  and  now  allow  me  to  state  some 
considerations  which  should  prevent  your  coming 
home  at  all.  I  have  three  in  my  mind,  and  first  one 
relates  to  myself.  I  am  trying,  as  well  as  I  may,  to  do 
what  strikes  me  as  my  first  duty  at  home.  It  is  very 
hard  for  me  to  stay  here,  and  no  one  gives  me  credit  for 
doing  it  for  any  cause  save  fear;  but  the  truth  is  the 
Governor  is  abroad  in  the  public  service,  and  property 
was  never  so  difficult  of  management  as  it  now  is.  ... 
Under  these  circumstances  I  concluded  very  reluc 
tantly  I  ought  to  stay  at  home  if  I  could,  and  I  think 
you  '11  agree  I  was  right. 

Have  n't  I  difficulties  enough  without  your  piling  up 
new  ones?  If  you  insist  on  this  step,  I  have  no  election 
but,  at  any  sacrifice,  must  go  too.  The  reason  is  obvi 
ous,  for  while  I  am  single  and  robust  and  John  remains 
at  home,  the  world  cannot  go  into  these  domestic  ques 
tions,  and  your  coming  home  in  a  hurry  to  get  a  com 
mission,  while  I  remained  in  Boston,  would  be  regarded 
as  a  most  decided  implication  on  my  courage.  You  can't 
but  see  this,  and  as  for  your  taking  a  commission  under 
me,  it's  bad  enough  to  have  a  hundred  men  you  don't 
care  for  to  look  after;  but  when  it  comes  to  looking 
after  a  brother  and  having  your  attention  taken  up  by 
what  may  be  occurring  to  him,  it  would  be  intolerable. 
Besides  I  expect  drafting  will  have  to  begin  before  long 
and  then  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  go,  and  if  I  go, 
I  think  the  family  in  supplying  two  out  of  four  to  the 


30  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [AUG.  23, 

public  service  does  enough,  and  you  ought  to  stay  at 
home. 

In  the  next  place  I  think  decidedly  you  ought  to  stay 
abroad  and  remain  with  your  father  and  mother.  No 
one  knows  what  may  happen  in  these  days — a  foreign 
war  is  possible,  even  an  English  war  —  and  difficulties 
you  do  not  now  see  may  any  day  spring  up,  and  for  one 
I  think  most  decidedly  that  while  times  are  so  troubled 
our  father  and  mother  have  got  to  an  age  when  they 
ought  not  to  be  deserted  abroad  by  all  of  their  chil 
dren. 

Finally,  the  most  weighty  consideration  to  my  mind 
I  reserve  for  the  last.  Of  course  you  make  this  a  ques 
tion  of  usefulness  and  duty.  You  are  not  particularly 
well  fitted  for  the  army  and  your  object  is  to  be  of  serv 
ice  to  your  country.  As  for  distinction  and  all  that  sort 
of  thing,  when  the  whole  country  is  rushing  into  the 
army  it  is  hardly  the  place  to  look  for  a  chance.  Where 
can  you  be  most  useful  in  this  emergency?  The  answer 
is  to  my  mind  too  clear  to  admit  of  discussion.  The 
rush  for  commissions  is  tremendous  and  you  can  only 
get  one  by  shoving  somebody  equally  capable  with 
yourself  aside,  and  you  can  really  do  no  service,  if  you 
get  one,  which  would  not  be  equally  well  done  if  you 
were  away.  Where  you  now  are  you  are  useful  to  the 
whole  country  and,  like  a  coward,  you  want  to  run  home 
because  our  reverses  make  the  post  abroad  into  which 
fortune  has  thrown  you  very  uncomfortable.  You  fight 
our  battle  in  England  and  let  us  alone  to  fight  it  here. 
There  are  men  enough  here,  but  there  your  place,  if 
you  leave  it,  must  remain  empty. 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  31 

You'll  say,  you  can't  do  anything  and  have  no 
opening.  What  could  a  second  lieutenant  in  an  in 
fantry  regiment  do  that  would  be  so  immense?  Is  that 
a  prodigious  opening?  Go  to  work  at  once  in  England 
with  all  your  energy  and  force  your  way  into  maga 
zines  and  periodicals  there  and  in  America,  so  that  you 
can  make  yourself  heard.  For  there  is  going  to  be 
difficulty  about  this  blockade  and  much  bad  feeling, 
though,  God  grant,  no  blows.  For  heaven's  sake  try  to 
influence  that  and  don't  throw  yourself  away  by  rush 
ing  into  this  mob  of  bruisers.  Try  to  raise  people  up  a 
little.  Look  into  the  cotton  supply  question  and  try 
to  persuade  the  English  that  our  blockade  is  their 
interest.  If  they  raise  it  and  transfer  it  to  our  coasts, 
they  have  the  power  to  do  so,  but  they  ally  themselves 
with  slavery  —  give  it  the  victory,  give  the  lie  to  their 
own  protestations  and  secure  to  the  South  for  years 
with  the  advantage  of  their  system  of  labor  and  pro 
duction  that  monopoly  of  cotton  under  which  England 
groans.  If  the  blockade  lasts  and  forces  supply,  Eng 
land  will  purchase,  at  the  price  of  one  year's  suffering, 
freedom  and  plenty  for  ever.  Touch  England  through 
her  pocket  and  help  your  country  that  way. 

Then  write  to  the  Atlantic  of  the  way  fighting 
America  appears  in  English  eyes,  of  her  boasting  and 
bragging,  her  running  and  terror;  tell  us  of  the  pain  she 
causes  her  children  abroad  and  how  foolish  her  angry 
threats  sound,  and  help  your  country  that  way.  Here  ; 
is  your  field,  right  before  your  nose,  in  which  you  could 
be  of  real  service,  and  you  want  to  rush  away  to  do 
what  neither  education  nor  nature  fitted  you  for  — 


32  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [AUG.  23, 

what  others  could  do  as  well  or  better,  and  get  your 
head  knocked  off  without  doing  the  least  good.  If  you 
have  any  energy  use  it  where  you  are  and  where  it  can 
be  of  value.  If  you  have  n't  any  keep  out  of  the  army. 
Talk  of  backing  the  Governor  up  in  the  Times  in  these 
days!  We've  got  beyond  all  that,  I  hope.  For  God's 
sake  take  a  broader  view  and  make  yourself  heard 
where  a  voice  is  wanted.  Don't  talk  of  your  connec 
tion  with  the  legation  to  me;  cut  yourself  off  if  neces 
sary  from  it  and  live  in  London  as  the  avowed  Times 
correspondent  and  force  your  way  into  notice  of  the 
London  press  that  way.  Wake  up  and  look  about  you 
and  make  yourself  useful  and  don't  jog  on  in  this  cart 
horse  way,  or  brag  over  your  harness  and  wish  your 
self  a  blood-horse,  with  McClellan,  instead  of  a  jack 
ass  who  can't  break  his  traces.  There,  I  have  blown 
my  blast  and  have  done,  and  you  can  do  as  you  see  fit. 
Free  from  the  legation  you  could  earn  a  living  by  your 
pen  in  London  and  be  independent,  busy,  happy  and 
eminently  useful.  If  you  come  home  you  won't  be  of 
the  slightest  use  to  any  one,  and  you  will  have  deserted 
your  post.  Now  if  you  want  a  commission  let  me 
know  and  I'll  do  my  best  for  you;  but  have  nothing 
to  say  to  Horace  Sargent.  He  is  n't  the  man  and  I 
know  him. 

We've  had  a  bad  panic,  but  it  seems  to  be  over  now 
and  I  think  they  were  wise  in  refusing  the  battle. 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  S3 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Quincy,  Sunday,  August  25,  1861 

IN  my  letter  I  begged  you  to  go  to  work  and  try  to 
make  the  two  countries  understand  each  other,  for  to 
my  eye  our  foreign  relations  look  very  formidable. 
Why,  when  England  and  France  are  collecting  fleets 
in  our  southern  waters,  do  we  all  of  a  sudden  hear 
rumors  of  a  joint  Mexican  protectorate?  It  would  be  a 
blessing  to  mankind,  but  how  will  it  complicate  our 
relations?  This  cotton  question  is  beginning  to  pinch 
and  soon,  if  ever,  if  you  have  any  desire  to  be  useful  to 
your  country,  backed  by  any  energy,  you  can  be  useful 
where  you  are. 

In  my  letter  I  asked  you  to  touch  England  through 
her  pocket.  For  some  time  past  I  have  been  turning 
over  in  my  mind  an  elaborate  article  on  this  cotton 
supply  question,  but  necessarily  to  be  of  any  good  to 
any  one  it  must  be  directed  more  to  English  eyes  than 
to  ours.  I  touched  on  it  in  my  last  letter,  and  now  I 
should  like  to  hand  it  over  to  you,  to  see  if  you  can  do 
anything  with  it.  I  would  write  it  for  the  Edinburgh 
or  some  really  influential  review  or  magazine,  but  to 
have  effect  it  should  appear  in  November,  when  the 
cotton-shoe  will  begin  to  pinch  dreadfully,  and  I 
would  force  it  into  print  by  laying  the  plan  of  it  be 
fore  Mr.  Motley  or  the  Governor,  or  any  other  person 
likely  to  have  influence  on  editors.  That  done  throw 
your  soul  into  your  work  and  write  as  if  you  meant 
what  you  said.  You  always  affect  in  writing  too  much 


34  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [AUG.  25, 

calmness  and  quaint  philosophy.  That  will  come  to 
you  in  time,  but  you  do  it  now  at  the  price  of  that 
fresh  enthusiasm  which  is  the  charm  of  young  writers. 
If  you  write  now,  write  as  if  you  were  pleading  a  cause 
and  too  much  interested  to  be  affected.  Throw  your 
soul  into  your  work  and  say  what  you  feel.  If  you  don't 
check  it,  your  mannerism  will  ruin  your  style  in  less 
than  five  years. 

However  now  for  the  subject.  The  books  you  ought 
to  review,  or  rather  hang  your  subject  on,  are  Mann's 
Manual  of  Cotton,  a  book  of  about  one  hundred  pages; 
the  third  annual  report  of  the  Manchester  Cotton 
Supply  Association  and  the  numbers  for  May  and 
June  of  the  Cotton  Supply  Reporter  of  Manchester, 
and  any  new  book  dealing  of  the  troubles  in  this  coun 
try.  If  you  accept  the  subject  I  have  many  curious 
facts  collected,  which  I  will  send  you  at  once.  Start 
at  once  with  the  paradox  that,  instead  of  desiring  to 
break  this  blockade,  England  should  pray  it  might  last 
for  two  years  and  if  necessary  assist  in  enforcing  it,  as 
if  enforced  its  inevitable  result  must  be,  after  one  or  at 
most  two  years  of  high  prices,  to  forever  break  down 
'the  price  of  cotton  to  a  reasonable  profit  over  the  cost 
of  its  cheapest  possible  production.  This  opens  the 
whole  question  of  supply.  Two  things  are  necessary 
to  the  production  of  cotton  —  an  abundance  of  labor 
and  a  cotton  soil.  Look  into  the  question  of  soil  first. 
A  semi-tropical  heat,  with  a  distribution  of  rain,  are 
the  only  essentials.  India  has  not  the  last  and  will  not 
do;  but  Central  and  South  America,  all  Africa  (which 
is  not  desert),  Australia  and  the  Fiji  Islands  are  better 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  35 

than  our  cotton  states  and  need  only  organized  labor. 
This  with  all  the  necessary  material  of  ships,  channels 
of  trade,  custom  and  experience,  our  planters  have  to 
such  a  degree  that  while  they  would  furnish  a  fair 
supply  of  cotton  on  moderate  terms,  they  could  kill 
competition.   Now  is  England's  chance  to  free  herself 
from  what  has  been  her  terror  for  years.   In  India,  in 
Egypt,  in  Abyssinia  and  in  South  Africa,  there  is  an 
unlimited  amount  of  cotton  land  of  the  finest  quality 
and  labor  is  abundant,  costing  almost  nothing,  but 
unorganized.   Two  years'  competition  will  organize  it 
and  once  organized  it  can  sell  the  South.  In  Australia, 
the  South  Sea  islands  and  Central  America,  there  is 
no  labor  and  here  the  cooley  question  rises.  Properly 
regulated  the  trade  would  be  a  blessing,  for  the  Chi 
nese  amalgamates  and  California  is  in  point  as  well  as 
Dana's  reflections  on  Cuba.   The  books  I  have  men 
tioned  will  give  you  all  the  information  necessary  on 
these  points.    This  would  bring  cotton  down  to  the 
cost,  with  a  profit,  of  its  production  in  cheap  labor 
countries,  say  three  pence  a  pound.  But  it  would  also 
lead  to  immense  indirect  advantages.  As  a  missionary 
scheme  Africa  would  be  opened  up  and  Livingstone's 
discoveries  made  of  use;  slavery  in  America  would 
be  killed  and  the  slave-trade  closed  for  ever,  as  the 
African  would  be  more  useful  at  home  than  abroad. 
You  will  find  in  the  first  few  pages  of  a  new  book 
called  Social  Statics  more  curious  facts  and  reflections 
on  England's  efforts  at  the  suppression  of  the  slave- 
trade,  and  this  leads  to  the  amount  yearly  expended 
in  its  suppression  in  this  way,  and  which  the  conse- 


36  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [AUG.  25, 

quent  withdrawal  of  the  fleet  would  save  that  govern 
ment,  and  the  amount  England  could  thus  afford  to 
pay  to  promote  the  enterprise.  Finally  it  would  open 
the  untold  tropical  fertility  of  Africa  to  the  commerce 
of  the  world  and  these  advantages  cannot  be  esti 
mated.  Thus  cotton  would  be  produced  on  both  sides  of 
the  equator  all  the  year  round  in  unlimited  quantities, 
and  England  would  have  by  two  years'  suffering  cut 
the  meshes  which  she  could  never  have  broken. 

On  the  other  hand  England  breaks  the  blockade,  or 
the  South  is  victorious,  England  may  then  as  well  hug 
her  chains,  for  she  must  wear  them.  The  Southern 
confederacy  will  be  aggressive  and  more  slaves  and 
more  cotton  will  be  the  cry.  In  spite  of  England  the 
slave-trade  will  flourish  and  then-  system  will  spread 
over  Mexico  and  Central  America.  Then  with  the 
advantages  of  their  organization,  slave  labor  will  win 
the  day  and  England  may  look  for  competition  in  vain. 
The  cotton  monopoly  will  stifle  her  in  the  end.  They 
will  pretend  in  Parliament  that  the  recognition  of  the 
Confederate  States  will  not  extend  the  area  of  slavery 
and  all  that  humbug.  Expose  this,  for  it  will  be  a  vic 
tory  of  slavery.  Recognition  will  mean  war  and  the 
prostration  at  the  feet  of  slavery  of  free  society  in 
America.  England  can  do  this  if  she  chooses,  but  let 
her  not  deceive  herself  and  let  the  results  of  her  action 
be  patent. 

Finally  the  importance  of  this  struggle  cannot  be 
overestimated.  On  the  inviolability  of  the  blockade 
and  the  consequent  cotton  pressure  throughout  the 
world  hangs  the  destruction  of  American  slavery,  the 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  87 

eternal  suppression  of  the  slave-trade,  the  emanci 
pation  of  England  from  a  thraldom  under  which  her 
great  industrial  interest  has  groaned  for  fifty  years,  and 
finally  the  civilization  and  awakening  from  Barbarism 
of  the  great  continent  of  Africa.  Even  America,  de 
prived  of  her  monopoly,  would  reap  advantage  from 
the  result,  and  this  I  tried  to  show  in  my  article  in  the 
Atlantic  of  last  April.  Are  not  these  results  worth  the 
agony  of  two  years  of  half  labor  in  Lancashire?  Are 
they  not  worth  fighting  for?  Can  England  hesitate  as 
to  which  side  her  interest  favors  —  as  to  what  course 
she  will  adopt? 

Here  is  a  general  sketch  of  my  idea.  I  think  it  would 
be  of  service  in  England  and  if  written  as  a  man  should 
write  who  is  writing  for  his  country  at -such  a  time  as 
this,  it  would  surely  command  attention.  Any  assist 
ance  I  can  give  you  I  gladly  will;  but  I  earnestly  beg 
you,  even  if  this  subject  does  not  please  you,  to  make 
yourself  useful  in  your  present  position  in  some  way  of 
this  kind.  You  can't  tell  how  much  effect  here  a  sym 
pathetic  word  from  England  has  now,  and  you  can  be 
of  the  greatest  use  if  you  only  will.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Boston,  August  27,  1861 

YOUR  tone  is  too  dull  in  your  letters  and  I  feel  for 
you  sincerely  in  your  Bull-run  panic  in  England.  Here 
things  certainly  look  much  better  and  people  feel 
much  better.  The  money  market  is  easy  and  our  ex 
portation  of  breadstuffs  seems  likely  to  continue. 


38  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [SEPT.  3. 

Finally,  this  steamer  will  advise  you  that  at  least  the 
government  is  thoroughly  in  earnest  and  that  spies 
and  traitors  can  no  longer  enjoy  immunity.  Nor  is  this 
all.  Last  week  we  were  in  a  terrible  panic  and  Monday 
was  the  blackest  day  I  ever  saw;  but  now  the  Govern 
ment  is  working  for  its  life.  McClellan  has  the  complete 
confidence  of  the  people,  government  securities  are 
rising,  money  is  plenty,  and  finally  the  indications  are 
strong  that  the  confederates  are  being  ground  to  atoms 
by  the  very  weight  of  their  defensive  preparations. 
Bull-run  was  a  blessing  to  us,  for  it  startled  the  people 
from  the  conceit,  arrogance  and  pride  which  must  have 
proved  their  ruin.  There  is  a  universal  feeling  of  con 
fidence  abroad,  and  England  may  refuse  our  loan  if  she 
chooses  to;  but  I  don't  think  she  will  for  seven  and 
three-tenths  per  cent  is  too  much  of  the  flesh-pots  not 
to  be  longed  for,  and  our  securities  must  drift  to  Eng 
land.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Boston,  September  3,  1861 

I  PERSUADED  Hale  to  insert  a  leading  article  about 
Russell  in  the  Advertiser,  which  I  send  to  Henry.  The 
folly  of  our  press  in  assaulting  so  savagely  an  agency  so 
formidable  as  Russell  has  troubled  me,  and  I'm  glad  to 
see  that  McClellan  is  wiser  and  spares  a  few  civil  words 
where  they  can  be  so  useful.  In  fact  I  think  McClellan 
is  showing  a  tact  and  power  of  managing  men  which 
reminds  me  of  Seward.  For  already,  even  at  this  dis 
tance,  I  see  that  he  has  moulded  Russell,  Wilson  and 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  39 

Sunnier  like  wax  in  his  fingers.  This  is  very  important 
and  I  expect  before  this  reaches  you  McClellan's  finger 
will  have  been  seen  and  wondered  at  in  the  columns 
of  the  Times.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  September  7,  1861 

THE  feeling  here  which  at  one  time  was  leaning  our 
way  has  been  very  much  changed  by  the  disaster  at 
Bull's  run,  and  by  the  steady  operation  of  the  press 
against  us.  Great  Britain  always  looks  to  her  own  in 
terest  as  a  paramount  law  of  her  action  in  foreign 
affairs.  She  might  deal  quite  summarily  with  us,  were 
it  not  for  the  European  complications  which  are  grow 
ing  more  and  more  embarrassing.  There  are  clouds  in 
the  north  and  in  the  south,  in  the  east  and  in  the  west, 
which  keep  England  and  France  leaning  against  each 
other  in  order  to  stand  up  at  all.  The  single  event  of 
the  death  of  Napoleon,  perhaps  even  that  of  Lord 
Palmerston,  would  set  everything  afloat,  and  make  the 
direction  of  things  in  Europe  almost  impossible  to 
foresee.  Hence  we  may  hope  that  these  two  powers 
will  reflect  well  before  they  inaugurate  a  policy  in  re 
gard  to  us  which  would  in  the  end  react  most  fatally 
against  themselves.  ... 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  September  7,  1861 

YOURS  in  answer  to  mine  written  after  the  Bull's  Run 
arrived  last  night  and  I  answer  it  at  once.  Whatever 


40  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [SEPT.  7, 

weight  your  arguments  might  have  had  on  me  in  ordi 
nary  times,  just  now  they  are  entirely  superseded  by 
the  new  turn  things  have  taken  since  that  letter  was 
written.  I  could  not  go  home  now  if  I  would,  nor 
would  if  I  could.  Work  has  increased  to  such  an  extent 
since  our  return  from  our  excursion  that  I  am  absolutely 
necessary  here.  Things  have  taken  a  turn  which  makes 
it  every  day  more  probable  that  we  must  sooner  or 
later  come  into  collision  with  England,  and  of  course 
with  that  prospect  I  can't  leave  the  Chief  and  the 
family  v  in  the  lurch.  So  you  need  not  at  present  feel 
any  alarm  about  my  blundering  home,  as  you  call  it, 
for  I  promise  you  fair  warning  so  that  you  may  be 
down  at  the  wharf  to  receive  me  with  the  towns-people. 

Warning  you  to  preserve  it  a  profound  secret,  I  will 
disclose  to  you  some  of  the  horrors  of  the  prison-house. 
Remember,  your  finger  ever  on  your  lip. 

You  may  or  may  not  be  informed  that  among  the  first 
instructions  to  the  Chief  from  the  Department  was  one 
directing  him  to  offer  to  the  British  Government  the 
adhesion  of  the  United  States  to  the  four  articles  of  the 
Treaty  of  Paris.  They  related  as  you  know  to  privateer 
ing,  neutral  goods,  neutral  flags  and  blockades.  The 
Chief  obeyed  instructions  and  ever  since  we  have  been 
here  this  matter  has  dragged  its  slow  length  along 
through  strange  delays,  misunderstandings,  and  dis 
cussions  that  in  so  simple  a  matter  were  very  curious 
and  inexplicable.  At  last  the  Chief  acting  under  re 
peated  instructions,  broke  through  all  objections  and 
brought  it  to  such  a  point  that  he  and  Mr.  Dayton 
were  agreed  to  sign  the  Convention  on  the  same  day  at 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  41 

Paris  and  London,  with  Earl  Russell  and  with  Mr. 
Thouvenel.  The  day  alone  remained  to  be  fixed. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  negotiation  when  we 
went  off  on  our  excursion.  Before  we  had  returned  a 
note  was  received  from  the  Foreign  Office  suggesting 
a  convenient  day  for  signing,  but  transmitting  also  the 
draft  of  a  declaration  outside  the  treaty  itself,  which 
Earl  Russell  proposed  to  read  before  signing.  It  ran  as 
follows: 

"In  affixing  his  signature  to  the  Convention  of  this 
day  between  H.  M.  the  Queen  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland  and  the  U.S.  of  A.  the  Earl  Russell  declares  by 
order  of  H.  M.  that  H.  M.  does  not  intend  thereby  to 
undertake  any  engagement  which  shall  have  any  bear 
ing  direct  or  indirect  on  the  internal  differences  now 
prevailing  in  the  United  States." 

On  receiving  this  Note  the  Chief  sat  down  and  wrote 
an  elaborate  reply.  It  was  in  his  best  style  and  was 
certainly  an  admirable  paper.  After  tearing  the  whole 
thing  up  and  placing,  as  it  seems  to  me,  the  British 
Government  in  a  very  awkward  and  untenable  posi 
tion,  he  ended  by  breaking  off  the  negotiation  until 
further  instructions  from  home  should  command  him 
to  resume  it.  This  Note  Earl  Russell  has  never  replied 
to.  A  few  days  after  he  sent  an  answer  which  sounded 
to  me  rather  like  an  apology  than  anything  else,  but  in 
this  Note  he  said  that  he  should  defer  the  answer  to 
another  time. 

So  that  passed  away,  but  only  to  give  place  to  a 
greater  excitement.  Last  Monday  a  special  messenger 
arrived  from  Seward  bringing  the  package  taken  on 


42  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [SEPT.  7, 

Mure,  directed  to  Lord  Russell.  But  besides  this, 
which  was  legitimate,  or  might  be,  as  coming  from  the 
British  Consul  at  Charleston,  a  great  quantity  of  let 
ters  were  found  on  Mure,  and  among  others  one  that 
very  gravely  compromised  the  British  Government. 
It  seems  that  the  British  and  French  Consuls  at  Charles 
ton  have  acted  in  concert  in  making  a  treaty  with  Jeff 
Davis,  and  that  treaty  nothing  less  than  this  very 
Convention  of  Paris. 

Here  was  a  pretty  to-do.  Whatever  we  might  sus 
pect,  there  was  no  direct  proof  against  England  or 
France  nor  was  it  our  interest  to  make  a  quarrel.  So 
the  Chief  sits  down  and  writes  a  long  despatch  to  Lord 
Russell  complimenting  very  highly  the  perfect  confi 
dence  to  which  the  British  Government  were  entitled, 
and,  returning  to  them  the  bag  of  despatches.  In  an 
other  short  Note  he  quoted  the  letter  I  have  mentioned, 
and  demanded  the  Consul's  recall. 

To  these  Notes  no  answer  has  yet  been  returned. 
No  doubt  the  graveness  of  the  matter  will  make  a 
Cabinet  meeting  necessary,  and  just  now  every  one  is 
out  of  town.  Lord  John  however  was  in  Paris  on  Sun 
day.  Was  it  to  consult  with  the  French  Government? 
You  see  what  a  dreadfully  tight  place  they're  in  and 
how  inevitably  the  inference  of  bad  faith  of  a  very  gross 
nature  is  against  them. 

These  are  the  signs  of  the  times  and  will  no  doubt 
alarm  you  enough.  I  am  myself  more  uneasy  than  I 
like  to  acknowledge  in  my  public  letters,  but  hope  we 
shall  worry  through  yet.  They  won't  like  the  idea*  of 
our  privateers  here  when  it  gets  near  them. 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  43 

As  for  your  recommendation  to  set  up  here  as  letter- 
writer  to  the  Times,  you  know  not  what  you  say.  In 
the  first  place,  all  that  I  know  comes  from  my  position 
and  without  it  I  were  nothing.  In  the  second  place, 
there  are  few  beings  lower  in  the  social  scale  in  Eng 
land  than  writers  to  newspapers.  I  should  destroy 
myself  beyond  a  hope  of  redemption. 

No,  I  am  very  well  as  I  am.  I  shall  gradually  make 
way  and  worry  along.  London  does  not  satisfy  all  my 
longings,  but  enfin  it  is  an  exciting,  hard-working  life 
here,  and  the  Chief  and  I  are  as  merry  as  grigs,  writing 
in  this  delightful  old  study  all  day  long,  opposite  to 
each  other.  When  I  say  delightful  I  stretch  a  point, 
but  it  is  not  bad.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  September  14,  1861 

YOUR  last  letter  containing  principally  suggestions  on 
the  cotton  matter,  reached  me  this  week.  Also  a  bundle 
of  newspapers.  At  present  I  am  busy  in  another  direc 
tion,  so  that  I  can't  yet  take  up  the  subject  you  recom 
mend,  but  when  my  immediate  bubbles  have  burst, 
or  have  expanded  brilliantly,  I  mean  to  see  what  I  can 
do  here.  Yet  I  confess  I  do  not  promise  myself  much 
from  the  effort.  The  main  principles  which  you  aim  at 
demonstrating,  that  the  American  monopoly  of  cotton 
is  in  fact  a  curse  both  to  America  and  to  Great  Britain, 
and  its  destruction  might  be  made  the  cause  of  infinite 
blessings  to  the  whole  range  of  countries  under  the 
torrid  zone,  this  principle  is  and  has  always  been  an 
axiom  here.  It  needs  no  proof,  for  the  cotton -mer- 


44  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [SEPT.  14, 

chants  themselves  are  the  most  earnest  in  asserting  it. 
The  real  difficulty  with  regard  to  cotton  does  not  lie 
there.  It  is  never  the  hope  of  a  future  good,  however 
great,  that  actuates  people,  when  they  have  immedi 
ate  evils  such  as  this  want  of  cotton  will  produce  right 
before  their  eyes.  Nor  should  I  answer  any  real  ques 
tion  by  proving  that  in  two  years  the  world  will  be 
infinitely  benefitted  by  our  war,  when  what  they  alone 
ask  is  whether  meanwhile  England  will  not  be  ruined. 
My  own  belief  is  that  she  will  be  ruined.  This  next 
winter  will,  I  fear,  be  a  dreadful  one  in  this  country 
in  any  case,  nor  will  it  be  bettered  if  they  make  war 
on  us.  It  is  not  as  if  the  cotton  manufacture  alone 
suffered,  but  the  tariff  and  the  war  have  between 
them  cut  off  the  whole  American  trade,  export  and 
import,  and  the  consequence  has  been  a  very  bad 
season,  with  a  prospect  of  frightful  pressure  in  the 
winter.  Whole  counties  will  have  to  be  supported 
by  subscription. 

This  is  my  idea  of  the  real  cotton  problem  in  this 
country.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  suffering  interests 
will  make  a  violent  push  to  solve  it  by  urging  the  Gov 
ernment  to  attack  our  blockade.  But  that  is  merely 
the  last  struggle  of  a  drowning  man.  The  Government 
will  not  do  it,  I  think,  and  most  Englishmen  speak  of 
the  idea  as  preposterous.  If  they  did,  it  would  only 
complicate  matters  still  more  and  I  doubt  whether 
even  then  they  got  their  cotton.  The  winter  over,  the 
new  era  will  dawn  on  us;  that  cursed  monopoly  will  be 
broken  and  with  it  the  whole  power  of  the  South;  the 
slave-trade  will  then  be  ended  and  slavery  with  it,  for 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  45 

the  negro  will  be  of  no  use;  and  we  may  expect  sunnier 
days  and  renewed  prosperity.  This  is  the  only  view 
that  I  could  advocate,  and  this,  a  generally  acknowl 
edged  truth,  is  at  best  but  small  comfort  to  a  starving 
people. 

Meanwhile  we  are  getting  on  in  these  parts.  Lord 
Russell  has  just  answered  the  Chief's  Note,  by  refusing 
to  dismiss  Bunch;  acknowledging  that  he  acted  under 
instructions;  justifying  the  step  as  one  which  implied 
nothing  and  in  which  even  pirates  might  be  admitted 
to  join  (i.e.  the  neutral  flag  matter);  accepting  the 
responsibility  for  its  acts  and  the  consequences;  but 
at  the  same  time  declaring  that  the  Ministry  has  no 
present  intention  of  recognizing  the  Southerners,  or  of 
leaving  their  old  position. 

Of  course  Seward  will  revoke  Bunch's  exequatur,  but 
that  need  make  no  trouble.  But  it  is  by  no  means  so 
clear  what  also  may  result  from  this.  By  a  pure  acci 
dent  it  was  discovered  that  the  British  Government 
were  secretly  entering  into  connections  with  the  insur 
gents,  and  they  are  now  compelled  to  acknowledge 
that  they  have  really  been  acting  behind  our  backs. 
This  is  no  pleasant  acknowledgment  to  make,  for  evi 
dently  secrecy  was  their  object,  and  the  implication 
is  direct  against  their  good  faith.  They  feel  that  they 
have  been  found  out,  and  this  for  an  Englishman  is 
anything  but  pleasant.  The  affair  will  hardly  end  here. 

I  have  been  lately  hunting  up  the  newspapers.  The 
other  day  I  called  on  the  editors  of  the  Spectator  and 
had  a  long  talk  with  them.  I  mean  to  call  on  or  write 
to  Hughes,  the  Tom  Brown  man,  who  has  vigorously 


46  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [SEPT.  17, 

taken  our  side.  The  Star  too  we  are  in  with.  Miss 
Martineau  writes  for  the  News  and  she  is  an  invalid, 
not  to  be  seen.  I  may  very  likely  myself  turn  up  some 
of  these  days  in  the  lists.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Boston,  Tuesday,  September  17,  1861 

As  I  hear  nothing  more  of  your  coming  home  I  hope 
you  have  forgotten  that  folly.  The  few  of  your  friends 
in  the  army  here,  like  Billy  Milton*  and  Howard 
Dwight,  opened  their  eyes  wide  with  astonishment  at 
the  suggestion.  Just  now  I  certainly  hope  that  you 
have  n't  left,  as  I  send  you  by  this  mail  a  couple  of 
copies  of  yesterday's  and  today's  Courier,  in  which 
you  will  find  two  leaders  headed  "English  Views," 
written  by  me  and  which,  if  you  have  any  opening  yet 
in  the  English  press  you  may  turn  to  advantage  as 
extracts  from  the  American.  The  letter  of  the  Times 
correspondent  of  30th  August  printed  in  last  Satur 
day's  Times  (N.Y.)  seemed  to  intimate  that  the  wind 
now  lay  in  this  quarter  and  American  views  to  the 
point  might,  I  thought,  be  of  use.  These  articles  were 
written,  however,  before  I  saw  that  letter,  or  the  Times 
(London)  editorials  in  the  same  direction.  I  offered 
these  articles  to  Charles  Hale  who  declined  to  publish 
them  editorially,  and  so  I  sent  them  to  the  Courier; 
but  Hale  remembered  my  line  of  thought  and  repro 
duced  it  in  his  leader  of  last  Monday,  which  I  also  send 
you.  So,  for  once,  the  Courier  and  the  Advertiser 
were  brought  close  together  on  the  same  day. 
Here  we  feel  immeasurably  better  and  not  only  are 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  47 

things  outwardly  more  encouraging,  but  I  am  in 
formed  from  private  correspondents  of  military  men 
in  Washington  that  the  appearance  is  not  deceptive, 
an  immense  improvement  has  taken  place  and  military 
men  are  most  sanguine  of  the  future. 

I  wait  anxiously  to  hear  from  you.  By  the  way,  in 
case  you  think  favorably  of  my  suggestion  of  an  Eng 
lish  article  on  the  American  press,  did  you  notice  a  few 
days  ago  an  article  in  the  N.Y.  Times  about  the  Her 
ald,  in  which  Bennett  was  called  "the  old  liar,"  "a 
skunk,"  a  "stink-pot,"  etc.,  etc.  How  would  the  two 
read  if  the  editorial  of  the  celebrated  Potts  in  the  Ea- 
tanswill  Gazette  about  the  "buff -ball  in  a  buff  neigh 
borhood  "  and  that  were  put  side  by  side?  Which  would 
be  the  caricature?  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  September  20,  1861 

I  DEEPLY  sympathise  with  you  in  your  trials  about  the 
part  you  ought  to  play  in  the  war.  Much  as  I  value 
your  assistance  during  my  absence  on  this  side,  I 
should  be  very  reluctant  to  continue  it  at  the  cost  of 
your  own  convictions  of  your  duty.  If  you  feel  that 
the  crisis  demands  it,  I  pray  that  you  set  aside  every 
other  consideration  at  once.  .  .  .  Whichever  way  you 
determine,  you  will  know  that  I  appreciate  your  mo 
tives,  and  that  you  will  have  under  every  circumstance 
my  sympathy  and  my  prayers. 

The  late  modicum  of  good  news  has  helped  us  here 
a  good  deal.  People  were  beginning  to  believe  that  the 


48  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [SEPT.  28. 

slaveholding  generals  were  demigods,  on  Aristotle's  or 
Longinus's  principle  (I  forget  which),  that  mystery  is 
a  source  of  the  sublime.  The  London  Times  at  last 
frankly  admits  that  if  split  up  we  shall  no  longer  be  a 
terror  to  Europe  so  that  there  is  no  need  of  going  any 
farther  for  a  reason  to  explain  its  crooked  policy.  Mr. 
Russell's  last  letter  went  far  to  justify  your  inference. 
He  has  seen  a  little  light  and  is  willing  to  admit  that  we 
are  not  so  badly  off  after  all.  ... 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

L&ndon,  September  28,  1861 

TIME  goes  precious  fast  and  yet  seems  to  leave  very- 
little  behind  it.  I  have  been  very  busy  for  the  last  three 
weeks  but  now  am  at  leisure  again  though  I  have  some 
ideas  of  beginning  a  new  tack.  Papa  got  back  late  last 
night  from  a  visit  to  Lord  Russell's  in  Scotland.  I  must 
say  I  think  Lord  Russell  was  rather  hard  in  making  him 
take  all  the  journey,  but  as  it  could  n't  well  be  helped 
I  am  glad  it  has  happened,  and  especially  so  as  it  will 
have  an  excellent  effect  on  the  relations  of  the  two  coun 
tries.  When  I  last  wrote  things  looked  threatening  if 
I  recollect  right.  Since  then  they  have  wonderfully 
cleared  away.  Lately,  except  for  the  Bunch  affair  and 
the  negotiation  business,  England  has  behaved  very 
well.  The  Southerners  were  refused  recognition  and  we 
are  no  longer  uneasy  about  the  blockade.  Lord  Rus 
sell  has  explained  the  Mexican  business  very  satisfac 
torily  and  it  appears  that  England  is  trying  to  check 
Spain,  not  to  help  her.  Lord  Russell  was  very  open 
and  confidential  towards  the  Chief  and  showed  him 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  49 

confidential  despatches  proving  the  truth  of  the 
matter  with  regard  to  Spain,  besides  treating  him  in 
every  way  extremely  kindly  and  confidentially.  You 
know  that  these  are  state  secrets  which  no  one  knows 
out  of  the  immediate  circle  here,  so  you  must  be  very- 
careful  not  to  let  it  out,  even  to  write  back  here  that  you 
know  about  it,  as  it  might  shake  confidence  in  me 

I  have  no  news  for  you  beyond  what  I  Ve  told.  We 
are  all  right  here,  strong  and  confident.  If  you  win  us 
a  victory  on  your  side,  the  thing's  finished.  Rosecrans 
seems  to  be  a  good  deal  of  a  man,  if  I  understand  his 
double  victory  over  Floyd  and  Lee.  The  Lee  business 
has  not  wholly  reached  us  yet,  but  seems  to  be  a  first- 
rate  thing,  as  he  was  one  of  their  great  guns. 

I  occasionally  worry  a  newspaper  writer,  but  ad 
vance  slowly.  Called  on  Tom  Brown  Hughes  the 
other  day  but  he  was  out  of  town  and  won't  be  back 
for  some  time.  No  one  is  in  London,  but  in  about  a 
month  I  suppose  the  country  visiting  will  begin  and 
then  one  may  make  a  few  more  acquaintances.  .  .  . 

We  are  settling  down  into  the  depths  of  a  London 
autumn.  The  fogs  are  beginning  and  the  streets  look 
as  no  streets  in  the  world  do  look  out  of  England.  Ber 
lin  was  never  so  gloomy  as  London.  Every  now  and 
then,  when  things  go  wrong,  I  feel  a  good  deal  as  though 
I  would  like  to  cut  and  run,  but  on  the  whole  my  posi 
tion  is  much  better  than  it  was  three  months  ago.  I 
saw  a  little  article  of  yours  (I  suppose)  in  the  Tran 
script  a  short  time  ago,  and  I  hope  that  you  will  see  in 
some  of  the  London  newspapers  if  not  my  writing,  at 
least  my  hand.  They  need  it,  confound  'em. 


50  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS        [OCT.  5, 

I  enclose  an  order  on  the  Times.  I  did  n't  know  pre 
cisely  how  to  word  it  for  I  don't  know  how  many  of  my 
letters  he  has  published.  Fourteen  or  parts  of  fourteen 
I  know  of,  but  there  may  be  more.  I  wish  you  could 
manage  to  get  the  money  from  Raymond  without  let 
ting  the  subordinates  into  the  matter.  I  doubt  if  I  can 
carry  it  on  much  longer  without  being  known. 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  October  5,  1861 

YOUR  letter  and  your  articles  in  the  Courier  arrived 
last  Monday.  I  sent  one  set  of  them  down  to  Lucas, 
the  editor  of  the  London  Star,  and  received  a  compli 
mentary  note  in  return  which  I  will  enclose  to  you. 
The  other  set  I  sent  down  to  the  editor  of  the  Specta 
tor,  and  from  him  I  have  not  heard.  There  was  one 
article  to  the  Star  which  was  partly  drawn  from  your's, 
without  quoting  it,  but  there  has  been  no  reprint.  The 
Spectator  never  reprints,  but  if  it  notices  you,  I  will 
send  you  the  notice.  Your  Manchester  paper  I  have 
made  unavailing  efforts  to  find,  but  London  seems  to 
despise  anything  provincial,  and  I  can  find  the  paper 
nowhere.  London  papers  go  to  Manchester  but  Man 
chester  ditto  don't  seem  to  return  the  compliment. 

This  week  I  have  no  news  for  you.  Everything 
seems  to  be  getting  along  well  and  the  Government 
here  behaves  itself  very  fairly.  I  don't  know  whether 
my  last  letters  will  appear  or  not,  but  if  they  do  you 
can  form  some  judgment  as  to  my  inventive  powers. 
The  truth  is  that  I've  lately  told  so  much  in  that  way 
which  was  not  generally  known,  that  my  position  began 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  51 

to  be  too  hot  and  I  thought  I  'd  try  a  little  wrong  scent. 
The  facts  are  all  invented  therefore,  but  the  idea  is 
carried  out  as  faithfully  as  I  could,  of  quoting  the  state 
of  English  opinion. 

We  have  been  overrun  by  visitors  this  week.  My 
friend  Richardson  goes  in  the  Arabia  to  Boston,  if  he 
can,  but  I  'm  not  sure  that  he  won't  have  to  make  Hali 
fax  his  terminus.  He  was  in  a  horrible  position.  His 
family  and  property  are  in  New  Orleans  and  he  has  a 
brother  in  the  Virginian  army.  He  is  himself  a  good 
Union  man,  I  believe;  at  all  events  he  talks  so;  but  he 
does  not  want  to  do  anything  which  will  separate  him 
from  his  family  or  make  them  his  enemies.  So  he  could 
not  make  up  his  mind  to  take  the  oath,  and  deter 
mined  rather  to  run  his  risk  without  a  passport.  I  be 
lieve  he  means  to  pass  the  winter  in  Boston.  He  told 
me  all  about  his  troubles  and  I  strongly  advised  him 
not  to  think  of  ever  Irving  in  New  Orleans  again;  at 
least  as  an  architect. 

Sohier  and  Charley  Thorndike  have  been  here  this 
week.  Both  leave  for  Paris  this  morning.  Sohier  was 
quite  amusing,  and  dined  with  us  twice.  But  the  trouble 
about  London  is  that  no  one  ever  stays  here  and  I  can't 
keep  a  companion.  As  for  Englishmen  I  don't  expect  to 
know  any  of  my  own  age  for  at  least  six  months  more, 
as  this  club  business  has  got  to  be  settled  and  the 
season  to  come  round  again  first.  We  see  no  English 
people  now,  or  very  few,  and  the  fogs  are  thick  al 
most  every  morning.  Hooroar!  Can  you  find  out  (not 
through  Sumner,  who  seems  to  have  distorted  even 
your  ideas  of  Washington  affairs)  what  ground  Seward 
takes  on  the  slave  question? 


52  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [OCT.  6. 

I  need  n't  say  that  the  articles  are  devilish  good  and 
made  me  blue  for  a  day,  thinking  of  my  own  weak 
endeavors  in  the  same  way. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Quincy,  Sunday,  October  6,  1861 

I  RECEIVED  your  letter  of  the  7th  some  ten  days  ago 
and  not  a  word  from  London  since;  so  that  as  I  have 
seen  no  signs  of  trouble  in  the  press,  I  presume  the 
little  flurry  you  there  mention  has  passed  away.  In 
fact  I  cannot  say  I  share  your  apprehensions,  though 
I  must  confess  I  think  the  government's  cards,  so  far  as 
the  public  sees  them,  are  played  badly  enough  both  here 
and  in  England.  While  the  agents  of  the  Confederates 
are  abroad  working  the  whole  time  at  public  opinion 
and  at  the  foreign  mind,  influencing  papers  and  think 
ers  and  undermining  us  the  whole  time,  our  press  at 
home  does  but  furnish  them  the  materials  they  need 
and  our  agents  abroad  apparently  confine  their  efforts 
to  cabinets  and  officials  and  leave  public  opinion  and 
the  press  to  take  care  of  themselves.  This  may  not  be 
so  in  fact,  but  if  it  is  not,  all  that  can  be  said  is  that  the 
Southern  emissaries  are  far  more  efficient  than  ours. 
We  have  money  and  the  command  of  the  sea,  so  that 
Europe  can  know  nothing  except  through  us,  and  yet, 
from  the  beginning,  so  much  more  active  and  efficient 
has  the  South  been,  that  we  have  done  nothing  but  lose 
ground.  Why  is  this?  I  may  be  all  wrong,  but  to  me 
our  policy  in  England  seems  as  plain  as  noon-day,  but 
I  see  no  signs  of  its  operation  on  the  press,  though  I  hope 
it  is  working  secretly.  England  is  made  up  of  large  in- 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  53 

terests.  Some  of  those  are  in  our  favor  and  some  opposed 
to  us;  but  why  are  they  not  played  off  against  each 
other?  This  war  promises  immense  results  to  India, 
and  has  already  carried  up  the  Indian  bonds.  That  in 
terest  is  immensely  powerful  in  England  and  can  only 
reap  benefit  from  the  war;  but  I  have  not  noticed  that 
its  organs  were  particularly  friendly  to  us.  The  shipping 
interest  derives  great  benefit  from  the  war,  but  their 
organs  are  opposed  to  us.  Why  is  this?  What  are  our 
agents  doing?  Why  is  not  India  played  off  against 
Manchester  and  London  against  Liverpool?  Why  do 
the  Southern  agents  have  it  all  their  own  way?  WThy 
are  not  a  few  American  papers  sufficiently  under  the 
control  of  government  to  enable  some  expression  of 
good  sense  to  go  abroad?  Why  is  everything  so  utterly 
left  to  take  care  of  itself?  Remember  I  only  ask  these 
as  questions,  for  I  do  not  know  but  what  a  profound 
plan  and  ceaseless  activity  under-runs  it  all;  but  if  it 
does,  the  State  department  certainly  keeps  its  own 
councils  much  better  than  the  war.  So  much  for  these 
things. 

I  wait  curiously  for  the  next  development  from 
abroad  and  chuckled  amazingly  over  the  tight  place  in 
which  the  Governor  had  got  Lord  John.  Meanwhile, 
if  there  is  to  be  trouble,  for  Heaven's  sake  give  me  a  few 
days'  notice.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  7th 

I  send  the  corrected  copy  of  Sumner's  speech  here 
with.  Did  you  ever  see  anything  like  the  classical  ex 
posure  in  the  Advertiser?  How  can  it  be  accounted 


54  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS        [OCT.  7, 

for?  What  can  Sumner  mean  by  perpetrating  historical 
frauds  so  sure  of  detection?  The  speech  has  been  made 
the  subject  of  most  severe  criticism  and  that  too  from 
men  hitherto  Sumner's  friends.  Dana  tore  it  to  shreds 
for  my  edification  in  a  most  substantial  manner,  and 
Sumner  has  done  himself  no  credit.  For  myself  I'm 
glad  the  speech  was  made,  though  I  think  very  differ 
ently  from  most  in  these  matters.  The  education  is 
going  on  and  the  fallacies  lie  hid.  I  agree  with  it,  how 
ever,  neither  in  theory  or  results,  and  if  we  had  a  Juve 
nal,  would  not  the  celebrated  author  of  a  certain  4th 
of  July  peace  oration,  now  become  the  leading  advocate 
for  a  savage  SERVILE  war,  catch  particular  jess.  Sum 
ner  is  a  humbug!  There's  no  doubt  about  it.  He's 
been  a  useful  man  in  his  day,  but  he's  as  much  out  of 
place  now  as  knights  in  armor  would  be  at  the  head  of 
our  regiments. 

The  convention  was  managed  and  its  results  brought 
about  by  Dana,  and  it  was  to  him  a  great  personal 
triumph  as  he  had  all  the  old  party  associations  to 
contend  with.  You  never  saw  a  man  chuckle  over  any 
thing  as  he  did  over  his  doings  at  Worcester.  Sumner, 
I  imagine,  is  offended  with  him  and  will  evince  it  in 
the  usual  way.  There  is,  of  course,  no  political  contest. 
The  position  of  the  country  is  now  very  curious  and 
my  strong  conviction  is  that  everything  is  ready  and 
one  good  victory  would  start  everything.  Politics  are 
so  dead  that  a  little  success  would  lead  to  an  era  of  good 
feeling  in  the  North.  Business  is,  in  New  England,  all 
ready  to  rise  under  the  tariff  to  a  state  of  activity, 
unusual  even  in  time  of  peace.  Everything  that  is  left 


CHARLES  SUMNER 


1861.]         A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  55 

is  strong  and  the  present  feeling  of  depression  is  wholly 
unfounded.  I  am  convinced  that  one  victory  would 
make  an  almost  incredible  change,  but  we  shall  not  see 
it  for  a  long  time  without  a  victory. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Boston,  October  14,  1861 

MY  impression  is  that  we  are  on  the  eve  of  great 
movements  and  the  naval  expedition,  if  successful,  will 
open  the  ball.  We  can  see  little  in  the  papers,  but  it 
looks  to  me  as  if  the  correspondents  were  at  fault.  But 
in  truth  McClellan  is  coiling  himself  up  for  a  spring  on 
Manassas  immediately  after  a  coast  success.  If  he  suc 
ceeds,  and  in  him  alone  have  I  any  confidence,  the 
loan  will  be  at  a  premium  in  twenty-four  hours  and 
all  over  Europe  in  six  weeks.  For  those  who  have 
confidence  now  is  the  time  to  buy  and  sell  in  the 
victory.  . .  . 

Let  me  call  your  attention  to  the  article  on  England 
and  America  in  the  Examiner  I  send  the  Governor 
by  this  bag.  It  is  said  to  be  written  by  Dr.  Hedges 
and  is  one  of  the  ablest  papers  I  have  read  for  a  long 
time.  .  .  . 

By  the  way,  I  had  almost  forgotten  what  I  most 
wanted  to  say.  In  his  last  letter  the  Governor  hinted 
that  it  would  be  a  good  thing  if  I  could  get  a  connec 
tion  as  American  correspondent  with  some  London 
paper,  as  the  correspondents  from  this  side  as  a  whole 
were  beneath  contempt.  I  will  leave  this  to  you.  Of 
course  I  demand  no  pay  and  only  desire  to  influence 


56  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [OCT.  is, 

public  opinion  abroad.  If  any  respectable  London 
paper  will  print  my  letters,  I  will  let  them  hear  from 
me  as  often  as  there  is  anything  of  interest  to  let  them 
hear  about.  I  am  not  anxious  about  it  at  all,  but  at 
this  crisis  I  am  anxious  to  do  everything  in  my  power. 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  October  15,  1861 

IN  your  last  letters  I  am  not  a  little  sorry  to  see  that 
you  are  falling  into  the  way  that  to  us  at  this  distance 
seems  to  be  only  the  mark  of  weak  men,  of  complaining 
and  fault-finding  over  the  course  of  events.  In  mere 
newspaper  correspondents  who  are  not  expected  to 
have  commonsense  or  judgment,  this  may  be  all  nat 
ural,  but  you  ought  to  know  better,  for  you  have  the 
means  for  hitting  the  truth  nearer.  For  my  own  part 
I  tell  you  fairly  that  all  the  gossip  and  senseless  stories 
that  the  generation  can  invent,  shall  not,  if  I  can  help 
it,  shake  for  one  single  instant  the  firm  confidence 
which  I  feel  in  those  who  are  guiding  our  affairs.  You 
are  allowing  your  own  better  judgment  and  knowledge 
to  be  overruled  by  the  combined  talk  of  a  swarm  of 
people  who  have  neither  knowledge  nor  judgment  at 
all;  and  what  is  to  be  the  consequence,  I  would  like 
to  know,  if  you  and  men  like  you,  who  ought  to  lead 
and  strengthen  public  opinion  in  the  right  path,  now 
instead  of  exercising  your  rights  and  asserting  your 
power  for  good,  give  way  to  a  mere  vulgar  discourage 
ment  merely  because  the  current  runs  for  the  moment 
in  that  direction.  Call  you  that  backing  of  your  friends  ? 
A  plague  upon  such  backing.  Every  repetition  that  is 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  57 

given  to  these  querulous  ideas  tends  to  demoralize  us 
worse  than  a  defeat  would,  and  certainly  here  abroad 
is  sure  to  counteract  every  attempt  to  restore  confi 
dence  either  in  our  nation  or  her  institutions. 

Even  if  I  believed  in  the  truth  of  the  sort  of  talk  you 
quote,  I  would  suspend  the  moral  habeas-corpus  for  a 
time  and  deny  it.  But  I  don't  believe  it;  and  more  than 
that,  in  all  the  instances  which  you  quote  about  which 
I  know  anything  at  all,  I  know  it  to  be  false.  You,  like 
a  set  of  people  with  whom  you  now  for  the  first  time 
agree,  seem  to  have  fallen  foul  of  the  President  and 
Cabinet  and  in  fact  every  one  in  authority  as  the  scape 
goats  for  all  the  fault-finding  of  the  day,  simply  be 
cause  their  positions  prevent  them  from  showing  you 
the  truth.  Now  so  far  as  military  and  naval  affairs  go, 
I  know  nothing  at  all,  but  one  fact  I  have  noticed  and 
this  is  that  our  worst  misfortunes  have  come  from  pop 
ular  interference  with  them.  Croaking  is  just  as  likely 
to  bring  another  defeat,  as  that  ridiculous  bravado 
which  sent  our  army  to  Bull  Run.  But  your  troubles 
don't  end  with  the  army  and  navy;  if  they  did,  I 
might  perhaps  think  that  your  informants  really  knew 
something  about  a  matter  on  which  you  and  I  know 
nothing.  You  go  on  to  find  fault  with  the  President 
and  the  Secretary  of  State,  or  at  least  to  quote  others 
who  find  fault,  as  though  there  might  be  something  in 
it.  Here  I  am  willing  to  make  a  direct  issue  with  your 
authorities,  and  you  may  choose  between  us  which  you 
will  believe  and  whose  information  you  think  best 
entitled  to  credit.  They  say  that  the  Secretary  of 
State's  education  and  train  of  mind  are  not  adapted 


58  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [OCT.  15, 

for  these  times ;  that  his  influence  is  no  longer  such  as 
it  once  was;  that  you  can  no  longer  discern  under  the 
surface  of  events  that  firm  grasp  and  broad  conception 
that  we  once  admired  and  bent  to,  in  the  founder  of  the 
republican  party;  and  finally  you  quote  an  old  cal 
umny,  thirty  years  ago  as  common  as  it  is  today;  a 
year  ago  as  virulent  as  his  prominence  could  make  it;  a 
calumny  which  you  knew  then  from  the  testimony  of 
your  own  eyes  and  ears  to  be  utterly  and  outrageously 
false;  and  you  seem  now  to  suppose  that  mere  repeti 
tion  is  going  to  shake  my  own  knowledge  of  facts;  my 
own  certainty  of  conviction;  and  that  too  because  men 
who  are  really  ignorant  attempt  to  make  you  believe 
that  you  are  so. 

You  say  that  Mr.  Seward's  hand  is  not  evident  in 
the  course  of  events.  I  disagree  entirely  to  any  such 
idea.  I  think  it  is  very  evident  and  so  much  so  that, 
feeling  perfect  confidence  in  him,  I  have  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  our  ideas  are  wrong  and  that  his  are 
right,  at  least  on  one  question.  I  am  an  abolitionist 
and  so,  I  think,  are  you,  and  so,  I  think,  is  Mr.  Seward; 
but  if  he  says  the  time  has  not  yet  come;  that  we  must 
wait  till  the  whole  country  has  time  to  make  the  same 
advance  that  we  have  made  within  the  last  six  months, 
till  we  can  all  move  together  with  but  one  mind  and 
one  idea;  then  I  say,  let  us  wait.  It  will  come.  Let  us 
have  order  and  discipline  and  firm  ranks  among  the 
soldiers  of  the  Massachusetts  school. 

But  apart  from  this,  when  you  say  that  you  do  not 
see  the  hand  of  the  Secretary  of  State  in  the  course 
of  events,  I  tell  you  plainly  that  you  do  not  know  that 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  59 

whereof  you  speak.  I  do  assure  you,  and  I  do  pretend 
to  knowledge  on  this  point,  that  his  direction  of  the 
foreign  affairs  of  the  nation  has  been  one  of  very  re 
markable  ability  and  energy,  and  to  it  we  are  indebted 
now  in  no  small  degree;  in  a  very  large  degree,  rather; 
to  the  freedom  from  external  interference  which  allows 
us  to  give  our  whole  strength  to  this  rebellion.  Never 
before  for  many  years  have  we  been  so  creditably 
represented  in  Europe  or  has  the  foreign  policy  of  our 
country  commanded  more  respect.  They  will  tell  you 
so  in  Paris  and  they  will  tell  you  so  here,  if  you  don't  go 
to  such  authorities  as  the  Times  for  your  information. 
The  high  tone  and  absolute  honor  of  our  country  have 
been  maintained  with  energy  and  lofty  dignity,  but 
are  we  not  on  good  terms  still  with  foreign  nations? 
Have  not  the  threatening  clouds  that  were  hanging  over 
our  relations  with  this  country  a  few  months  since, 
been  cleared  away  by  an  influence  that  no  man  of  com 
mon  experience  would  imagine  to  be  accident?  And 
what  of  Spain?  And  Mexico?  Trust  me,  when  you 
come  to  read  the  history  of  these  days  at  some  future 
time,  you  will  no  longer  think  that  the  hand  of  the 
Secretary  of  State  has  been  paralysed  or  his  broad 
mind  lost  its  breadth,  in  a  time  of  civil  war. 

Now  let  me  read  you  a  lesson  in  history.  When  the 
English  nation  in  the  year  1795  were  struggling  with 
revolutionary  France,  their  armies  were  beaten,  their 
allies  conquered  and  forced  to  sue  for  peace;  every 
military  effort  failed  the  instant  it  was  put  forth; 
famine  was  in  the  land;  revolution  raised  its  head 
boldly  within  the  very  hearing  of  Westminster  Hall; 


60  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [OCT.  25, 

ill-success  of  every  kind,  infinitely  greater  than  our  own, 
dogged  their  foot-steps  at  every  move;  and  their  credit 
sank  under  their  enormous  subsidies  to  Austria,  and 
eternal  draughts  on  the  money  market.  But  did  the 
English  people  hesitate  to  give  a  firm  and  noble  sup 
port  to  Pitt,  their  Prime  Minister,  in  spite  of  his  gross 
failures?  Not  a  bit  of  it.  His  majority  in  Parliament 
and  throughout  the  nation  was  firmer  than  ever,  and 
when  he  threw  open  a  loan  at  last  to  the  people,  even 
in  such  a  dark  hour  as  that  after  Bull  Run  was  to  us, 
noble  and  peasant,  King  and  Commoner,  snapped  it  up 
in  a  single  week,  at  a  rate  at  which  the  money-market 
would  have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  The  English  have 
the  true  bull-dog's  grip,  and  that  is  what  we  must  have 
if  we  expect  to  do  anything  either  in  victory  or  in 
defeat. 

If  you  think  the  above  worth  printing,  send  it  to 
Charles  Hale.  If  not,  no  matter. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  October  25,  1861 

OUR  American  news  comes  much  in  the  old  way, 
always  of  a  chequered  character.  First,  we  are  com 
pelled  to  blow  away  a  great  deal  of  froth  on  the  top  of 
the  cup,  and  then  we  find  the  liquor  more  or  less  mud 
dled  beneath.  The  impression  is  that  "some  one  has 
blundered."  Our  Navy  does  not  look  as  it  did  hi  the 
last  war.  Then  the  land  expeditions  indicated  as  much 
incapacity  as  they  do  now.  Now  our  ships  do  nothing 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  61 

but  catch  fishing  schooners.  The  Alliance,  the  Gou- 
dar,  the  Thomas  Watson,  the  Bermuda,  the  Fingal, 
the  Amelia,  have  all  taken  quantities  of  clothing,  and 
military  equipment  of  every  description  from  here,  of 
which  we  have  had  notice  beforehand.  But  I  do  not 
see  a  sign  of  their  capture  in  any  quarter.  Yet  to  my 
mind  this  is  a  greater  triumph  than  twenty  such  results 
as  that  at  Bull's  Run.  The  latter  at  least  had  the  effect 
of  seriously  crippling  the  victor.  The  former  supplies 
the  material  for  carrying  on  the  war  indefinitely  and 
gives  to  all  Europe  the  idea  of  an  ineffective  blockade 
—  the  most  dangerous  thing  of  all  to  our  ultimate 
success.  ...  I  cannot  sympathise  with  Mr.  Sumner's 
speech,  because  the  tone  is  purely  vindictive  and  im 
practicable.  But  I  do  not  the  less  feel  that  we  must 
ultimately  embrace  the  military  necessity  as  a  basis 
for  the  reconstruction  of  a  stable  government. 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  October  25,  1861 

You  complain  of  the  manner  in  which  England  has 
been  allowed  to  wheel  round.  I  mean  to  write  a  letter 
to  the  Times  on  that  matter  some  day.  Do  you  know 
the  reason  why  it  is  so?  How  do  you  suppose  we  can 
make  a  stand  here  when  our  own  friends  fail  to  sup 
port  us?  Look  at  the  Southerners  here.  Every  man 
is  inspired  by  the  idea  of  independence  and  liberty 
while  we  are  in  a  false  position.  They  are  active,  you 
say.  So  they  are,  every  man  of  them.  There  are  no 
traitors  among  them.  They  have  an  object  and  they 


62  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [OCT.  25, 

act  together.  Their  merchants  and  friends  in  Liverpool 
have  been  warm  and  vigorous  in  their  support  from  the 
beginning.  Ours  have  been  lukewarm,  never  uttering 
a  hearty  word  on  our  side,  and  the  best  of  them,  such 
as  Peabody  and  the  house  of  Baring's  invariably  play 
ing  directly  into  the  hands  of  our  opponents.  They 
have  allowed  the  game  to  go  by  default.  Their  talk 
has  been  desponding,  hesitating,  an  infernal  weight 
round  our  necks.  How  can  you  suppose  that  we  should 
gain  ground  with  such  allies. 

But  we  might  nevertheless  have  carried  the  day  if 
the  news  from  home  had  been  such  as  to  encourage 
our  party,  which  was  once  strong  and  willing.  You 
know  how  much  encouragement  we  have  had  from 
your  side.  Every  post  has  taken  away  on  one  hand 
what  it  brought  of  good  on  the  other.  It  has  by  regu 
lar  steps  sapped  the  foundations  of  all  confidence  in  us, 
in  our  institutions,  our  rulers  and  our  honor.  How  do 
you  suppose  we  can  overcome  the  effects  of  the  New 
York  press?  How  do  you  suppose  we  can  conciliate 
men  whom  our  tariff  is  ruining?  How  do  you  suppose 
we  can  shut  people's  eyes  to  the  incompetence  of 
Lincoln  or  the  disgusting  behavior  of  many  of  our 
volunteers  and  officers. 

I  tell  you  we  are  in  a  false  position  and  I  am  sick  of 
it.  My  one  hope  is  now  on  McClellan  and  if  he  fails  us, 
then  as  I  say  I  give  it  up.  Here  we  are  dying  by 
inches.  Every  day  our  authority,  prestige  and  in 
fluence  sink  lower  in  this  country,  and  we  have  the 
mournful  task  of  trying  to  bolster  up  a  failing  cause. 
Do  you  suppose  I  can  go  among  the  newspapers  here 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  63 

and  maintain  our  cause  with  any  face,  with  such 
backing?  Can  I  pretend  to  a  faith  which  I  did  once 
feel,  but  feel  no  longer?  I  feel  not  seldom  sorry  in 
these  days  that  I  did  n't  follow  my  first  impulse, 
and  go  into  the  army  with  the  other  fellows.  Our 
side  wants  spirit.  It  does  n't  ring  as  it  ought, 
i  These  little  ups  and  downs,  this  guerilla  war  in 
Missouri  and  Kentucky,  amount  to  nothing  but  vexa 
tion.  Oh,  for  one  spark  of  genius!  I  have  hopes  of 
McClellan  for  he  does  n't  seem  to  have  made  any 
great  blunders,  but  I  don't  know. 

We  are  all  in  a  lull  here.  The  English  Government 
is  perfectly  passive  and  likely  to  remain  so.  ... 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Boston,  November  5,  1861 

BY  the  last  mail  I  got  a  letter  from  you  intended  for 
the  press.  I  have  not  however  used  it  as  intended.  .  .  . 
The  great  facts  of  the  case  stand  out.  Six  months  of 
this  war  have  gone  and  in  them  we  have  done  much; 
and  by  we  I  mean  our  rulers.  But  if  we  have  done 
much  with  our  means,  the  rebels  have  performed 
miracles  with  theirs.  At  the  end  of  six  months  have 
we  a  policy?  Are  traitors  weeded  out  of  our  depart 
ments?  Is  our  blockade  effective?  Is  the  war  prose 
cuted  honestly  and  vigorously?  To  all  these  questions 
there  is  but  one  answer.  The  President  is  not  equal  to 
the  crisis;  that  we  cannot  now  help.  The  Secretary  of 
War  is  corrupt  and  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  is  in 
competent;  that  we  can  help  and  ought  to.  With  the 
rebels  showing  us  what  we  can  do,  we  ought  to  be 


64  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [Nov.  5, 

ashamed  not  to  do  more.  But  for  me  I  despair  of  doing 
more  without  a  purification  of  the  Cabinet.  With 
Seward  I  am  satisfied,  and  so  is  the  country  at  bot 
tom,  for  our  foreign  affairs  are  creditable.  Chase  will 
do  and  to  Blair  I  make  no  objection.  But  all  the  rest  I 
wish  the  people  would  drive  from  power.  Your  his 
torical  examples  are  not  good.  When  was  England 
greatest?  Was  it  not  when  an  angry  people  drove  the 
drivellers  from  office  and  forced  on  an  unwilling  King 
the  elder  Pitt,  who  reversed  at  once  the  whole  current 
of  a  war?  I  want  to  see  Holt  in  the  War  Department 
and  a  New  York  shipowner  in  that  of  the  Navy,  or 
else  Mr.  Dana.  I  am  tired  of  incompetents  and  I  want 
to  see  Lincoln  forced  to  adopt  a  manly  line  of  policy 
which  all  men  may  comprehend.  The  people  here  call 
for  energy,  not  change,  and  if  Lincoln  were  only  a  wise 
man  he  could  unite  them  in  spite  of  party  cries,  and 
with  an  eye  solely  to  the  public  good. 

Herewith  you  will  receive  three  Independents,  in 
each  of  which  you  will  find  an  article  by  me  for  your 
delectation.  They  answer  at  some  length  your  sug 
gestion  that  I  am  an  "abolitionist."  I  am  also  as 
sured  that  they  met  with  favor  in  the  eyes  of  Wendell 
Phillips,  which  indeed  I  do  not  understand.  I  imagine 
they  will  not  meet  your  and  my  father's  views,  but  on 
the  whole  I  am  not  dissatisfied  with  the  two  last  in 
general  and  the  last  in  particular.  ... 

Please  notice  the  leader  in  the  Independent  of  the 
24th.  I  did  more  than  I  expected  in  influencing  the 
editorials  of  the  Independent. 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  65 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  Jit 

London,  November  7,  1861 

WE  have  just  received  the  account  of  the  disaster  to 
the  20th,  and  I  tell  you,  I  feel  bad.  That  there  was  a 
blunder  somewhere  I  have  no  doubt,  and  I  am  in 
clined  to  believe  that  it  was  Baker  and  that  he  paid 
for  it  with  his  life.  But  to  lose  Lee  and  Paul  Revere 
and  to  have  your  friends  wounded  and  defeated  is  not 
atoned  for  by  the  fact  of  its  being  a  blunder.  Thank 
God  it  was  no  worse  and  that  no  one  was  killed.  You 
can  imagine  I  trembled  when  I  ran  down  the  list  of 
losses. 

The  anxiety  with  which  we  are  waiting  now  for  the 
struggle  that  is  coming  is  not  pleasant  to  bear;  A  gen 
eral  battle  must  come  before  the  month  is  over,  and  on 
its  result  everything  will  turn.  I  shall  wait  to  hear  of  it 
before  I  discuss  anything  about  what  is  to  follow. 

Affairs  here  remain  in  the  old  position  and  promise  to 
remain  so  until  there  is  something  decisive  on  your  side. 
There  is  no  danger  of  any  movement  from  England,  of 
that  you  may  be  sure,  and  I  have  done  my  best  to  induce 
the  New  York  press  to  change  its  tone  towards  this 
country,  but  they  are  damned  fools,  and  they  will  re 
main  damned  fools,  I  suppose,  and  make  our  difficulties 
as  great  as  they  possibly  can  be.  The  English  Govern 
ment  are  well  disposed  enough,  at  least  so  far  as  actions 
are  concerned,  and  now  we  hate  each  other  too  much 
to  care  a  brass  farthing  what  our  opinions  may  be,  on 
either  side.  Last  May  was  the  time  for  the  contest  of 
opinions.  Now  it  is  the  most  wretched  folly  to  waste  a 


66  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [Nov.  7, 

moment  over  what  this  or  any  other  country  thinks. 
We  must  induce  them  not  to  act,  but  as  for  their 
thoughts,  I,  for  one,  have  been  thoroughly  satisfied 
that  America  can  expect  no  sympathy  or  assistance  in 
Europe  from  any  Government.  They  all  hate  us  and 
fear  us,  even  the  most  liberal.  We  must  depend  wholly 
on  ourselves,  and  so  long  as  we  are  strong  all  will  go  on, 
but  the  instant  we  lose  our  strength,  down  we  shall  go. 
The  New  York  press  are  playing  into  the  hands  of  the 
party  here  which  is  organized  on  the  basis  of  anti- 
blockade. 

As  for  me,  I  am  not  wholly  lazy.  A  few  days  ago  I 
called  again  on  Townsend,  the  editor  of  the  Spectator. 
He  says  that  the  present  Ministry  will  stand  and  that 
there  will  be  no  interference  with  us  even  in  the  case  of 
another  defeat.  But  he  doubts  about  France.  Then 
I  called  on  "Tom  Brown"  Hughes  and  had  a  long 
talk  with  him,  but  not  about  politics  entirely.  He  is 
a  regular  Englishman  and  evidently  one  who  prides 
himself  on  having  the  English  virtues.  He  is  to  ask  me 
to  dine  with  him  next  week. 

But  my  great  gun  is  the  Manchester  one.  Torr&r- 
row  evening  I  start  with  a  pocketful  of  letters  for  Man 
chester  to  investigate  that  good  place.  With  such  rec 
ommendations  I  ought  to  see  everything  that  is  to  be 
seen  and  learn  all  that  is  to  be  learned.  I  am  invited  to 
stay  with  a  Mr.  Stell,  an  American  there,  and  have 
accepted.  My  present  plan  is  to  report  with  as  much 
accuracy  as  possible  all  my  conversations  and  all  my 
observations,  and  to  send  them  to  you.  Perhaps  it 
might  make  a  magazine  article;  except  that  it  should 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  67 

be  printed  as  soon  as  possible.  If  I  find  that  I  can 
make  it  effective  in  that  form,  I  shall  write  it  out  and 
send  it  to  you  for  the  Atlantic.  If  not,  I  shall  contract 
it  and  send  it  to  you  for  the  Advertiser  or  Courier. 

As  for  the  matter  of  your  becoming  a  correspondent 
of  some  paper  here,  I  have  had  it  always  in  my  mind, 
but  the  difficulty  is  that  every  paper  here  has  already 
one  or  more  American  correspondents.  I  intend  to 
suggest  it  to  Townsend,  and  should  have  done  so  earlier 
but  that  I  do  not  think  the  Spectator  cares  for  corre 
spondents.  As  for  papers  against  our  side,  of  course 
I  could  n't  get  you  onto  one  of  those,  nor  would  I  if  I 
could.  George  Summer  is  writing  weekly  vile  letters  in 
the  Morning  Post.  I  wish  you  would  put  the  screws  on 
him  to  stop  it.  He  does  more  harm  than  his  head's 
worth.  So  does  Charles,  here  and  at  home.  They're 
both  crazy,  and  George,  at  least,  unprincipled.  Charles, 
though  I  believe  him  to  be  honest,  is  actuated  by 
selfish  motives.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  November  8,  1861 

IT  may  be  my  predilection  that  biasses  my  judgment, 
but  I  think  I  see  in  my  father  the  only  picture  of  a  full 
grown  statesman  that  the  history  of  the  United  States 
has  yet  produced.  By  this  I  mean  that  in  him  were 
united  more  of  all  the  elements  necessary  to  complete 
the  character  than  in  any  other  man.  I  weigh  very  de 
liberately  the  substance  of  what  I  affirm.  Neither  am 
I  disposed  to  detract  from  the  me'rit  of  the  onany  dis- 


68  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [Nov.  8. 

tinguished  persons  who  have  likewise  run  a  brilliant 
career  in  America.  In  single  points  they  may  have 
shown  a  superiority.  The  mind  of  Jefferson,  or  Hamil 
ton,  or  Webster  may  when  directed  to  a  special  object 
have  given  indications  of  more  positive  power.  Mar 
shall  may  have  developed  a  more  disciplined  profes 
sional  intellect.  All  this  may  indeed  be  true.  But  that 
does  not  touch  the  question.  Compare  the  figures  from 
the  foundation  to  the  apex,  look  at  them  all  round  and 
you  will  not  fail  to  note  deficiencies  of  a  most  striking 
kind  in  those  cases  which  you  will  not  see  in  him. 
Read  the  writings  of  Hamilton.  You  see  ability,  sagac 
ity  and  penetration,  but  you  will  find  it  hard  to  keep 
awake.  Webster  is  strong  in  logic  and  forcible  in  ex 
position,  but  very  imperfect  in  his  bases  of  reasoning. 
Calhoun  is  subtle  and  keen  in  ratiocination,  but  never 
true  to  any  consistent  theory  of  morals.  All  of  them 
are  equally  bold  in  resources  for  illustration  and  the 
philosophy  of  generalization. 

The  first  and  greatest  qualification  of  a  statesman 
in  my  estimation,  is  the  mastery  of  the  whole  theory  of 
morals  which  makes  the  foundation  of  all  human  so 
ciety.  The  great  and  everlasting  question  of  the  right 
and  wrong  of  every  act  whether  of  individual  men  or  of 
collective  bodies.  The  next  is  the  application  of  the 
knowledge  thus  gained  to  the  events  of  his  time  in  a 
continuous  and  systematic  way.  It  is  in  this  last  par 
ticular  that  the  greatest  number  of  failures  are  ob 
served  to  occur.  Many  men  never  acquire  sufficient 
certainty  of  purpose  to  be  able  to  guide  their  steps 
at  all.  They  then  become  the  mere  sport  of  fortune. 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  69 

Today  they  shine  because  they  have  caught  at  a  good 
opportunity.  Tomorrow,  the  light  goes  out,  and  they 
are  found  mired  at  the  bottom  of  a  ditch.  These  are 
the  men  of  temporary  celebrity  —  the  Charles  Town- 
shends,  the  John  Randolphs,  the  George  Grenvilles,  the 
Harrison  Gray  Otises  of  their  day.  Every  civilised 
nation  is  full  of  them.  Other  men,  more  favored  by 
nature  or  education,  prove  their  capacity  to  direct 
their  course,  at  the  expense  of  their  fidelity  to  their 
convictions.  They  sacrifice  their  consistency  for  the 
sake  of  power,  and  surrender  their  future  fame  in  ex 
change  for  the  applause  of  their  own  day.  The  num 
ber  of  these  is  Legion.  They  crowd  the  records  of  all 
governments.  The  feebleness  of  perception  and  the 
deliberate  abandonment  of  moral  principle  in  action 
are  the  two  prevailing  characteristics  of  public  men. 

In  my  opinion  no  man  who  has  lived  in  America  had 
so  thoroughly  constructed  a  foundation  for  his  public 
life  as  your  grandfather.  His  action  always  was  de- 
ducible  from  certain  maxims  deeply  graven  on  his 
mind.  This  it  was  that  made  him  fail  so  much  as  a 
party-man.  No  person  can  ever  be  a  thorough  partisan 
for  a  long  period  without  sacrifice  of  his  moral  identity. 
The  skill  consists  in  knowing  exactly  where  to  draw 
the  line,  and  it  is  precisely  here  that  it  seems  to  me 
appears  the  remarkable  superiority  of  your  grand 
father  over  every  man  of  his  time.  He  leans  on  noth 
ing  external.  He  derives  support  from  every  thing  he 
can  seize.  But  if  circumstances  force  it  out  of  his 
hands,  he  is  still  found  standing  firm  and  alone.  .  .  . 


70  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [Nov.  10. 

CHAELES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Boston,  November  10,  1861 

I  AM  very  anxious  to  hear  news  from  Europe,  for  I  can 
not  believe  that  it  was  my  "letter"  which  caused  you 
"a  sleepless  night."  I  fear  the  despatches  had  some 
thing  to  do  with  it.  In  most  perfect  confidence,  will 
you  tell  me,  does  Seward  want  or  intend  to  make  a 
foreign  war?  He  is  too  profound  a  man  to  brag  the 
country  into  a  war  by  simply  being  over-confident  and 
overbearing;  and  if  he  does  it,  I  know  him  well  enough 
to  know  he  means  to  and  has  a  design,  and  just  now 
it  looks  surprisingly  like  it.  As  you  know  I  have  the 
highest  faith  in  Seward  and  would  surrender  it  as 
late  as  any  one;  but  a  policy  so  comprehensive  and 
immense,  and  so  evidently  doing  evil  that  good  might 
come  of  it  puzzles  me  strangely.  However  my  faith 
is  abiding  that  the  world  will  not  come  to  an  end  this 
time. 

P.  S.  On  reading  the  foreign  files  I  am  annoyed  to  see 
the  rumpus  created  in  England  by  the  Harvey  Birch 
affair.  We  again  present  the  ludicrous  aspect  of  two 
people  scared,  the  one  at  the  other.  While  Englishmen 
are  trembling  over  the  Harvey  Birch,  we  have  been 
quaking  over  the  seizure  of  Slidell  and  Mason.  The 
Harvey  Birch,  I  am  told,  belonged  to  secession  owners 
in  New  York,  and  all  New  York  is  chuckling  over  their 
loss,  which  they  most  richly  deserve.  The  public  at 
large,  so  far  as  I  can  see  and  hear,  feel  no  indignation, 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  71 

but  merely  a  sense  of  intense  relief  at  such  a  Godsend 
having  just  now  turned  up  in  the  moment  of  our 
greatest  need.  .  ^. 

CHAKLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Boston,  November  19,  1861 

WE  have  had  a  little  run  of  luck  on  this  side  this  last 
week,  and  Dupont  and  Wilkes  have  bolstered  up  the 
reputation  of  our  navy,  and  indeed  not  before  it  was 
time,  as  you  say.  I  suppose  the  seizure  of  Mason  and 
Slidell  reached  you  before  the  Beaufort  news  and 
made  that  additionally  acceptable.  Here  it  created 
quite  a  stir  and  immense  delight,  though  at  first  every 
one  thought  that  it  must  be  a  violation  of  national 
law;  but  Dana  crowed  with  delight  and  declared  that 
if  Lord  John  made  an  issue  on  that,  you  could  blow 
him  out  of  water.  I  don't  think  people  cared  much  for 
Mason,  except  that  his  arrogance  has  made  him  odi 
ous  ;  but  of  Slidell  every  one  stands  in  great  terror,  and 
to  have  him  safe  in  Fort  Warren  is  an  immense  relief. 
Of  the  Beaufort  affair  you  can  judge  as  well  as  I,  and  if 
the  handling  of  that  fleet  does  n't  please  the  English, 
they  must  be  fastidious.  As  a  whole  the  news  is  for  the 
moment  better,  but  the  symptoms  are  still  bad.  We 
evidently  cannot  follow  up  our  successes,  and  the  army 
is  perfectly  unwieldy.  This  time  and  more  disaster  will 
cure,  but  for  myself,  I  by  no  means  partake  of  the  im 
mense  elation  of  our  press.  I  still  think  that  nothing  of 
importance  will  be  done  before  the  spring.  .  .  . 


72  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [Nov.  26, 

CHAKLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Quincy,  November  26,  1861 

I  DON'T  know  whether  you  will  be  surprised  or  dis 
gusted  or  annoyed  or  distressed  by  the  information 
that  I  have  gone  into  the  army,  but  such  is  the  fact. 
Before  this  reaches  you  I  shall  be  an  officer  of  the  1st 
Mass.  Cavalry  and  probably  in  Carlisle  Barracks.  You 
know  it  now  and  I  am  glad  of  it!  You  ask  what  has 
impelled  me  to  this  unadvised  and  sudden  step.  Many 
reasons,  I  answer;  a  few  of  which  I  will  now  give  you. 
But  in  the  first  place  let  me  say  that  I  have  not  felt 
sure  of  my  appointment  until  within  the  last  five  days 
and  that  I  would  have  notified  you  of  it  before  had  not 
former  false  alarms  made  me  timid  of  present  ones. 
Now  I  feel  reasonably  sure  and  will  give  you  the  rea 
sons  of  my  actions.  You  will  say,  of  course,  that  the 
arguments  which  were  decisive  against  my  going  two 
months  ago  are  decisive  now  in  no  less  degree;  but  this 
is  not  so.  I  have  all  along  felt  that  it  was  my  place  to 
represent  our  family  in  the  army  in  this  struggle,  but 
a  higher  sense  of  public  duty  kept  me  at  home  wrhile 
I  was  useful  to  you;  and  when  that  usefulness  was  gone, 
the  argument  which  had  justified  my  staying  at  home 
became  one  for  my  going  away.  I  can  be  of  little 
future  use  to  you  here.  .  .  . 

For  going  I  have  many  reasons.  I  do  not  think  my 
self  a  soldier  by  nature.  I  am  not  sure  I  am  doing  that 
which  is  best  for  myself;  but  I  feel  that,  if  I  go,  I  shall 
be  better  satisfied  with  myself,  and,  as  I  said  to  you 


1861.]  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  73 

before,  I  do  not  think  it  right  that  our  family,  so  prom 
inent  in  this  matter  while  it  is  a  contest  of  words, 
should  be  wholly  unrepresented  when  it  has  grown  to 
be  a  conflict  of  blows.  You  say  there  is  neither  glory 
nor  honor  to  be  won  in  civil  strife.  I  answer,  that  it 
cannot  be  otherwise  than  right  for  me  to  fight  to  mam- 
tain  that  which  my  ancestors  passed  their  whole  lives 
in  establishing.  These  however  are  general  arguments 
which  I  have  advanced  to  you  before,  but  there  are 
others  nearer  home.  I  have  completely  failed  in  my 
profession  and  I  long  to  cut  myself  clear  of  it.  I  have 
indeed  derived  an  income  this  summer  from  my  office, 
but  not  from  the  law,  and  that  I  have  made  up  my  mind 
to  give  up.  This  mortifies  me  and  the  army  must 
cover  my  defeat.  My  future  must  be  business  and 
literature,  and  I  do  not  see  why  the  army  should  not 
educate  me  for  both,  for  its  routine  is  that  of  business 
and  it  will  go  hard  if  my  pen  is  idle  while  history  is  to 
be  written  or  events  are  to  be  described.  Thus  my 
decision  not  only  closes  one  career  in  which  I  have 
failed,  but  it  opens  others  in  which  experience  teaches 
me  I  can  succeed  if  at  all.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  MOTHER 

Boston,  November  29,  1861 
.          .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .          . 

WHAT  is  known  of  Seward  in  the  Legation?  Here  his 
fall  has  been  tremendous.  Few  men  are  now  more 
violently  attacked  on  all  sides.  There  is  a  very  preva 
lent  rumor  that  his  mind  is  at  all  times  befogged  with 
liquor;  that  he  drinks  half  the  time,  and  people  won't 


74  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [Nov.  29. 

believe  me  when  I  laugh  at  the  idea.  Then  many  of  his 
oldest  friends  here  —  myself  in  the  number  —  are  ut 
terly  perplexed  as  to  what  he  is  doing.  We  don't  see 
his  mind  in  the  policy  of  the  government  anywhere. 
In  fact,  we  don't  see  any  policy  of  the  government.  He 
seems  not  equal  to  the  occasion.  He  may  be  overruled 
in  the  cabinet  and  devoting  himself  to  his  department; 
but  that  is  not  the  popular  impression  and,  though  the 
cabinet  is  unpopular,  if  any  of  it  went  out  he  would  go. 
I  don't  understand  it  and  my  only  solution  is  that 
Seward's  is  one  of  those  calm,  philosophic  minds  which 
need  peaceful  times  to  operate  in,  when  he  can  study 
cause  and  effect  and  mature  his  plans  for  gradually 
approaching  events;  but  he  lacks  the  energy,  decision 
and  "snap"  for  days  like  these.  .  .  . 

We  had  a  Fast-day  the  other  day  and  I  went  to 
church.  I  found  it  fuller  than  I  ever  saw  it  before  on  a 
fast-day  and  Mr.  Wells  gave  us  a  fast  sermon  which 
made  some  people  stare.  It  was  hard  on  the  war  and 
stiff  enough,  but  in  laying  down  his  position  on  slavery 
his  Mississippi  life  stuck  out  strong,  so  strong,  in 
fact,  as  to  lead  him  to  assert  that  for  himself  he  "did 
not  consider  negro  servitude  as  necessarily  a  wrong." 
Some  people  were  a  little  astonished,  but  as  it  was  an 
occasional  sermon  it  will  not  hurt  him  any.  .  .  . 

Of  war  news  there  is  none,  though  what  the  steamer 
will  carry  out  I  can't  say.  The  Lexington  affair  is  bad 
and  Fremont  has  his  choice  of  a  series  of  successes 
or  removal.  The  real  difficulty  with  him  seems  to  be 
extravagance.  He  spends  money  like  water  and  one 
draft  on  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  from  him  was 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  75 

for  $5,800,000,  I  am  told.  Still  he  has  an  immense 
hold,  which  I  cannot  understand,  on  the  West,  and  if 
successful  can  maintain  himself.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  November  30,  1861 

IF  I  thought  the  state  of  things  bad  last  week  you  may 
imagine  what  I  think  of  them  now.1  In  fact  I  consider 
that  we  are  dished,  and  that  our  position  is  hopeless. 
If  the  administration  ordered  the  capture  of  those 
men,  I  am  satisfied  that  our  present  authorities  are 
very  unsuitable  persons  to  conduct  a  war  like  this  or 
to  remain  in  the  direction  of  our  affairs.  It  is  our  ruin. 
Do  not  deceive  yourself  about  the  position  of  England. 
We  might  have  preserved  our  dignity  in  many  ways 
without  going  to  war  with  her,  and  our  party  in  the 
Cabinet  was  always  strong  enough  to  maintain  peace 
here  and  keep  down  the  anti-blockaders.  But  now  all 
the  fat's  in  the  fire,  and  I  feel  like  going  off  and  taking 
up  my  old  German  life  again  as  a  permanency.  It  is 
devilish  disagreeable  to  act  the  part  of  Sisyphus  es 
pecially  when  it  is  our  own  friends  who  are  trying  to 
crush  us  under  the  rock. 

What  part  it  is  reserved  to  us  to  play  in  this  very 
tragical  comedy  I  am  utterly  unable  to  tell.  The  Gov 
ernment  has  left  us  in  the  most  awkward  and  unfair 
position.  They  have  given  no  warning  that  such  an 
act  was  thought  of,  and  seem  almost  to  have  pur 
posely  encouraged  us  to  waste  our  strength  in  trying 
to  maintain  the  relations  which  it  was  itself  intending 
J  After  the  Trent  affair. 


76  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [Nov.  so, 

to  destroy.  I  am  half  mad  with  vexation  and  despair. 
If  papa  is  ordered  home  I  shall  do  as  Fairfax  did,  and 
go  into  the  war  with  "peace"  on  my  mind  and  lips. 

Our  position  here  is  of  course  very  unpleasant  just 
now.  We  were  to  have  gone  to  Lord  Hatherton's  on 
Monday,  but  now  our  visit  is  put  off,  and  I  am  not 
without  expectations  that  a  very  few  weeks  may  see 
us  either  on  our  way  home  or  on  the  continent.  I  think 
that  the  New  Year  will  see  the  end. 

This  nation  means  to  make  war.  Do  not  doubt  it. 
What  Seward  means  is  more  than  I  can  guess.  But  if 
he  means  war  also,  or  to  run  as  close  as  he  can  without 
touching,  then  I  say  that  Mr.  Seward  is  the  greatest 
criminal  we've  had  yet. 

We  have  friends  here  still,  but  very  few.  Bright 
dined  with  us  last  night,  and  is  with  us,  but  is  evidently 
hopeless  of  seeing  anything  good.  Besides,  his  as 
sistance  at  such  a  time  as  this  is  evidently  a  disad 
vantage  to  us,  for  he  is  now  wholly  out  of  power  and 
influence.  Our  friends  are  all  very  much  cast  down  and 
my  friends  of  the  Spectator  sent  up  to  me  in  a  dread 
ful  state  and  asked  me  to  come  down  to  see  them, 
which  I  did,  and  they  complained  bitterly  of  the  posi 
tion  we  were  now  in.  I  had  of  course  the  pleasure  of 
returning  the  complaint  to  any  extent,  but  after  all 
this  is  poor  consolation. 

Our  good  father  is  cool  but  evidently  of  the  same 
mind  as  I  am.  He  has  seen  Lord  Russell  but  could  give 
him  no  information,  and  my  Lord  did  not  volunteer 
any  on  his  side.  You  will  know  very  soon  what  you 
are  to  expect.  .  .  . 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  77 

No  news  of  importance  has  yet  reached  my  ears,  but 
you  will  see  my  views  as  usual  in  the  Times.  We 
are  preparing  for  a  departure,  though  as  yet  we  have 
taken  no  positive  steps  towards  making  future  arrange 
ments. 

Beaufort  was  good.  It  gave  me  one  glowing  day 
worth  a  large  share  of  all  the  anxiety  and  trouble  that 
preceded  and  have  followed  it.  Our  cry  now  must  be 
emancipation  and  arming  the  slaves. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Boston,  December  3,  1861 

YOUR  letters  were  written  under  the  cloud  of  Balls 
Bluff,  and  it  is  hard  for  us  just  now  when  every  one  is 
getting  elated  again  to  go  back  and  appreciate  the 
bitterness  of  which  you  speak.  Yes,  every  one  is  in  tbe 
clouds  again,  but  I  must  confess  my  confidence  has 
been  too  much  shaken  to  be  suddenly  restored.  I  am 
oppressed  by  a  combined  sense  of  ill-luck  and  incom 
petence.  A  few  words  of  Balls  Bluff  affair  and  then  let 
us  try  to  forget  it.  I  am  informed  by  Harrison  Ritchie, 
who  has  been  to  Washington  for  the  Governor  recently 
and  is  in  "possesshun  of  certing  infamashon,"  that  there 
is  no  doubt  that  the  advance  was  ordered  by  General 
Scott  without  McClellan's  knowledge,  and  the  advance 
on  Romney  was  ordered  by  him  at  the  same  time.  The 
last  succeeded  and  the  first  failed,  and  within  ten 
days  Scott  resigned.  The  results  of  the  reverse  were 
however  fatal,  and  much  in  the  way  that  I  imagined, 
the  plans  of  the  campaign  were  frustrated,  and  here  we 


78  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [DEC.  3, 

now  are  with  a  disconnected  series  of  successes  and 
reverses  leading  to  little  and  effecting  in  themselves 
still  less.  So  affairs  now  stand,  and  soon  we  must  go 
into  winter  quarters,  for  today  it  has  set  in  bitter  cold. 
Still  there  are  signs  of  promise  in  the  sky  and  the 
blockade  promises  us  far  greater  results  than  our  arms 
bid  fair  to  win.  The  South  already  is  evidently  starv 
ing,  and  if  it  is  so  in  November  what  will  it  be  in  April? 
They  are  wild  with  terror  at  our  naval  expeditions  and, 
in  despite  of  all  and  everything,  I  never  felt  so  con 
fident  of  crushing  them  in  time,  if  no  foreign  force  in 
tervenes,  by  sheer  weight,  as  I  now  do.  I  have  lost  all 
confidence  in  our  skill  or  courage,  for  the  present; 
but  passing  events  make  it  pretty  clear  to  my  mind 
that  we  are  learning  fast  and  that  brute  force  is  all 
with  us. 

Every  one  is  fearfully  anxious  to  hear  from  England 
of  the  reception  of  Mason  and  Slidell's  capture,  and 
your  letter  in  which  you  mention  that  the  James 
Adger  was  watched  created  a  good  deal  of  uneasiness. 
The  English  precedents  so  clearly  justify  us  that  I  can 
not  fear  difficulty  from  that  cause;  but  I  do  fear  very 
much  a  popular  clamor  and  feeling  .of  hatred  towards 
us  which  will  make  the  occurrence  of  future  difficulty 
very  easy.  However,  every  day  gained  is  a  great  thing 
now  and  I  think  there  will  be  a  Southern  collapse 
within  four  months,  if  only  we  can  hold  over  that 
time. 

But  I  have  talked  enough  of  politics.  How  do  they 
like  my  going  into  the  army  in  London?  Did  they 
expect  it?  Were  they  pleased  or  disgusted?  As  for  me 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  79 

I  have  nothing  new  to  tell  you  in  that  regard.  The 
regiment  is  still  here,  but  I  do  not  expect  to  be  ordered 
to  join  until  they  move  to  Carlisle  barracks,  which 
will  probably  be  very  soon,  for  winter  has  set  in  in 
earnest.  . .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Boston,  December  10,  1861 

YOURS  of  the  23d  of  last  month  reached  me  yesterday. 
...  K  we  are  going  to  have  such  a  storm  as  you  in 
timate,  I  should  have  to  go,  so  anyhow,  and  if  indeed 
"all  that  remains  is  to  drop  gracefully,"  it  will  not  do 
me  or  any  one  else  any  good  for  me  to  anxiously  hang 
on  here  a  few  days  longer.  Yet  it  does  make  me  feel 
terribly.  We  have  blundered  all  summer  long  and 
now  we  have  capstoned  our  blunders  by  blundering 
into  a  war  with  England.  So  be  it.  While  there's  life 
there's  hope;  but  I  go  into  the  army  with  a  bitter 
feeling  against  those  under  whose  lead  we  have  come 
to  this  pass,  and  amid  all  the  shattered  idols  of  my 
whole  life  I  don't  feel  as  if  I  cared  much  when  my 
turn  came.  I  suppose  now  I  shall  go  into  the  field 
against  a  foreign  enemy  and  I  ought  to  rejoice  at  that. 
Still,  I  don't.  Against  the  rebels  I  could  fight  with  a 
will  and  in  earnest.  They  are  traitors,  they  war  for  a 
lie,  they  are  the  enemies  of  morals,  of  government,  and 
of  man.  In  them  we  fight  against  a  great  wrong  — 
but  against  England,  we  shall  have  forced  her  into  war 
when  she  only  asked  for  peace;  we  shall  have  made 
that  a  cause  of  quarrel  which  a  few  soft  words  might 
have  turned  away.  It  will  be  a  wicked  and  causeless 


80  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [DEC.  10. 

war  wantonly  brought  about  by  us  and  one  in  which 
I  most  unwillingly  would  go  to  my  death. 

for  Seward  I  cannot  comprehend  his  policy  and 
so  I  cannot  judge  of  it,  and  most  slowly  and  reluctantly 
will  I  surrender  my  faith  in  him.  His  policy  has  been 
to  keep  a  firm  front,  and  in  this  it  was  wise;  but  I  think 
he  might  have  made  himself  less  offensive  to  foreign 
powers  in  doing  it,  and  I  somewhat  doubt  the  ex 
pediency  of  bragging  yourself  out  of  the  game,  as  you 
tell  me  he  has  done.  Still  we  have  made  our  bed  and 
now  we  must  lie  on  it. 

I  shall  probably  have  joined  my  regiment  this  week 
or  early  next.  You  will  be  surprised  to  hear  that  I 
shall  probably  regularly  enlist  and  make  my  debut  as 
a  simple  sergeant  in  Caspar  Crowninshield's  company. 
The  truth  is  they  have  so  backed  and  filled,  and  hesi 
tated  and  delayed,  that,  having  determined  to  go,  I 
have  lost  my  patience,  and  have  signified  to  them  that 
I  am  ready  to  wait  in  the  ranks  until  they  are  ready  to 
give  me  a  commission.  Caspar  got  his  company  as  a 
promotion  for  his  behavior  at  Balls  Bluff,  and  I  shall 
get  mine,  I  suppose,  at  some  indefinite  future  period, 
when  Sargent  ceases  to  be  a  gas-bag  and  Williams 
feels  the  regiment  under  his  thumb.  Meanwhile  I 
shall  rough  and  fight  it  out  with  the  rest,  sleep  fifteen 
in  a  tent  with  stable-boys,  groom  horses,  feed  like  a 
hog  and  never  wash,  and  such  is  my  future !  Well,  it 
is  better  than  my  present,  for  I  shall  at  least,  by  going 
into  the  army,  get  rid  of  the  war. 

Your  last  letter,  and  your  statement  that  there  was 
nothing  left  but  a  suspension  of  relations  with  England, 


CASPAR  CROWNINSHIELD 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  81 

came  peculiarly  unpleasantly  just  now.  I  had  again 
begun  to  hope.  Our  blockade  has  become  so  effective 
and  we  are  developing  such  enormous  strength,  that  in 
spite  of  blunders,  the  confederates  seemed  likely  to  be 
crushed  by  brute  force  and  starved  to  death,  while  we 
are  really  more  prosperous  than  we  have  been  for  a  year, 
and  our  poor  more  comfortable  than  they  have  been 
for  four  years.  The  confederates  already,  before  win 
ter  begins,  are  regulating  by  law  the  profit  on  "articles 
of  prime  necessity,"  and  what  would  it  have  been  be 
fore  spring?  I  had  begun  to  hope  yet  to  see  this  rebel 
lion  collapse.  Of  course  a  war  with  England  exactly 
reverses  positions.  It  will  be  short  and  desperate,  and 
end  in  the  establishment  of  a  confederate  government, 
I  suppose.  However,  a  glorious  indifference  is  coming 
over  me.  I  can  live  on  my  pay,  the  world  will  not  come 
to  an  end  this  time,  and  if  I  do,  I  shall  doubtless  be 
very  comfortable  in  my  grave.  But  I  do  hate  to  be 
blundered  out  of  existence  and,  before  a  foreign  war 
just  as  we  were  getting  the  whip-hand.  Even  Balls 
Bluff  will  hide  a  diminished  head;  it  will  stand  forth  in 
all  history  as  the  Koh-i-noor  of  blunders.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  December  12,  1861 



IT  has  given  us  here  an  indescribably  sad  feeling  to 

witness  the  exultation  in  America  over  an  event  which 
bids  fair  to  be  the  final  calamity  in  this  contest.  We 
wonder  that  there  has  been  so  little  of  comprehension 
of  the  nature  of  the  struggle  here  in  public  opinion 


82  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [DEC.  13, 

not  to  jump  at  once  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be 
turned  against  us  by  such  an  act.  Putting  ourselves 
in  the  place  of  Great  Britain,  where  would  be  the  end 
of  the  indignation  that  would  be  vented  against  the 
power  committing  it?  Yet  it  seems  everywhere  to  have 
been  very  coolly  taken  for  granted  that  because  she 
did  outrageous  things  on  the  ocean  to  other  powers, 
she  would  remain  quiet  when  such  things  were  done 
to  her.  A  little  observation  of  her  past  history  ought 
to  have  shown  that  she  never  sees  the  right  until  half 
a  century  after  she  has  acted  wrong.  She  now  admits 
her  error  in  our  revolution,  and  in  the  last  war.  Now 
she  is  right  in  principle  and  only  wrong  in  point  of 
consistency.  Our  mistake  is  that  we  are  donning  our 
selves  in  her  cast-off  suit,  when  our  own  is  better 
worth  wearing.  And  all  for  what?  Why  to  show  our 
spite  against  two  miserable  wretches,  twenty  thousand 
of  whom  are  not  worth  a  single  hair  in  the  head  of 
any  of  the  persons  on  both  sides  of  the  controversy 
whose  lives  and  happiness  are  endangered  by  the 
quarrel.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  December  13,  1861 

YOUR  letter  to  papa  announcing  your  metamorphosis 
took  us  as  you  may  suppose  a  good  deal  by  surprise. 
I  endorsed  it  at  once.  As  you  say,  one  of  us  ought  to 
go,  and  though  of  the  three  as  a  mere  matter  of  acci 
dental  position  I  might  have  preferred  that  it  should  be 
John,  still,  as  a  question  of  greater  or  lesser  evil  per 
haps  it's  best  that  it  should  be  you.  If  we  come  home, 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  83 

perhaps  I  may  try  it  myself  a  little,  but  if  we  stay 
abroad,  or  if  I  come  home  alone,  I  do  not  suppose  I 
shall  be  compelled  to  do  so.  At  the  same  time,  as  a 
personal  matter,  I'm  sorry  you're  going,  especially  as 
I  have,  since  the  last  shock,  become  satisfied  that  we 
must  sooner  or  later  yield  the  matter.  As  a  mere 
question  of  independence  I  believe  the  thing  to  be 
settled.  We  cannot  bring  the  South  back.  As  a  ques 
tion  of  terms  and  as  a  means  of  thoroughly  shaking  the 
whole  southern  system,  I'm  not  sorry  to  see  the  pres 
sure  kept  up.  ... 

You  can  imagine  our  existence  here.  Angry  and 
hateful:  as  I  am  of  Great  Britain,  I  still  can't  help 
laughing  and  cursing  at  the  same  time  as  I  see  the  ac 
counts  of  the  talk  of  our  people.  What  a  bloody  set 
of  fools  they  are!  How  in  the  name  of  all  that's  con 
ceivable  could  you  suppose  that  England  would  sit 
quiet  under  such  an  insult.  We  should  have  jumped 
out  of  our  boots  at  such  a  one.  And  there's  Judge 
Bigelow  parading  bad  law  "at  the  cannon's  mouth," 
and  Governor  Andrew  all  cock-a-hoop,  and  Dana  so 
unaccustomed  confident,  and  Mr.  Everett  following 
that  "Great  authority"  George  Sumner  into  a  ditch, 
"blind  leader  of  the  blind " !  Good  God,  what 's  got  into 
you  all?  What  do  you  mean  by  deserting  now  the  great 
principles  of  our  fathers,  by  returning  to  the  vomit  of 
that  dog  Great  Britain?  What  do  you  mean  by  as 
serting  now  principles  against  which  every  Adams  yet 
has  protested  and  resisted?  You're  mad,  all  of  you. 
It's  pitiable  to  see  such  idiocy  in  a  nation.  There's  the 
New  York  Times  which  I  warned  only  in  my  last  letter 


84  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [DEC.  17. 

against  such  an  act,  and  its  consequences;  and  now  I 
find  the  passage  erased,  and  editorial  assurances  that 
war  was  impossible  on  such  grounds.  Egad,  who  knew 
best,  Raymond  or  I?  War  is  not  only  possible  but 
inevitable  on  that  ground;  and  we  shall  be  forced  to 
declare  it.  England  can  compel  us  to  appear  to  act  as 
the  aggressors  in  future  as  now. 

Thurlow  Weed  is  here  and  hard  at  work  on  public 
opinion.  He  is  excessively  anxious  about  the  meeting 
of  Congress  and  thinks  we  shall  be  talked  into  a  war. 
I  have  had  some  talk  with  him  and  like  him  very  much. 
.  .  .  The  Government  has  not  yet  condescended  to 
send  us  one  single  word  as  to  the  present  question. 
I  wonder  what  Seward  supposes  a  Minister  can  do  or 
is  put  here  for,  if  he  is  n't  to  know  what  to  do  or  to  say. 
It  makes  papa's  position  here  very  embarrassing.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Boston,  December  17,  1861 

I  CLEARLY  see  that  the  little  squall  you  refer  to  in 
yours  of  the  23d  of  November  was  a  gentle  zephyr  in 
comparison  with  the  gale  that  set  in  four  days  later. 
Your  Manchester  paper  got  here  just  too  late.  The 
Atlantic  could  not  have  printed  it  till  January,  and 
so,  as  you  told  me,  I  carried  it  to  the  Courier.  It  has 
been  printed  and  I  send  it  to  you,  but  I  doubt  if  any 
one  has  read  it,  or  any  notice  will  be  taken  of  it;  for  you 
might  as  well  expect  the  sailors  on  a  sinking  ship  to 
pay  attention  to  flourishes  of  a  fiddle.  It  happened 
at  exactly  the  wrong  moment,  and  people  were  too 
much  absorbed  in  the  questions  of  the  moment  to  pay 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  85 

attention  to  those  of  the  day.  I  made  a  mistake,  how 
ever,  in  sending  it  to  the  Courier,  but  I  am  under  some 
obligation  to  them  and  this  paid  it  off.  I  shall  cer 
tainly  have  nothing  to  do  in  the  future  with  that 
low  toned  and  semi-treasonable  sheet  —  that  is,  when 
I  can  use  any  other. 

Is  the  present  a  case  of  war  or  of  diplomacy?  I  can 
not  tell,  but  I  do  hope  not  war.  The  idea  of  two  great 
countries  setting  to  work  to  do  each  other  all  the  in 
jury  in  their  power  on  a  technical  point  of  law,  or 
error  into  which  one  fell  in  its  desire  not  to  offend  the 
other.  Still,  if  England  will  take  that  tone,  so  be  it. 
We  have  our  war  paint  and  feathers  on  and  we  shall 
die  hard.  Do  you  remember  how  hard  France  was 
pressed  just  after  the  revolution  and  how  she  turned 
on  her  enemies?  We  can  make  a  better  fight  now  than 
we  ever  could  before,  and  our  two  first  measures  would 
almost  necessarily  be  those  most  troublesome  to  Eng 
land  —  a  decree  of  universal  emancipation  on  the  one 
hand,  and  a  swoop  on  English  commerce  on  the  other. 
A  true  democracy  is  a  pretty  hard  thing  to  whip  and 
I  cannot  help  thinking  that,  in  a  war  forced  upon  us  on 
this  issue,  England  would  find  us  as  ugly  a  customer  as 
she  had  often  dealt  with.  Still  it  is  a  conclusion  terri 
ble  to  think  of.  As  great  a  cause  as  ever  men  struggled 
for  ruined  forever  by  so  needless  a  side  issue !  Yet  for 
one  I  do  not  see  how  it  can  long  be  avoided  and  per 
haps  it  would  be  as  well  to  face  it  at  once.  .  .  . 

I  send  you  herewith  a  copy  of  a  lecture  by  Boutwell 
of  some  interest  just  now.  By  the  way,  it  is  a  hopeful 
sign  to  see  that  Seward  on  this  question  has  Congress 


86  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [DEC.  19. 

under  the  curb.  I  should  n't  wonder  if  the  wily  old 
bird  changed  his  note  now,  as  he  did  when  the  South 
kicked  out,  and  you  suddenly  found  him  most  suave 
and  peaceable. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Boston,  December  19,  1861 

I  RECEIVED  yours  of  the  30th  ultimo  yesterday.  You 
say  "this  nation  means  to  make  war."  To  this  I  have 
to  reply  that  this  nation  does  n't.  England  may  force 
us  into  a  war,  but  the  feeling  here  is  eminently  pacific, 
and  unless  the  Ministry  has  put  themselves  in  &U  un 
tenable  position  and  driven  us  to  the  wall,  no  war  will 
come  out  of  this.  Dana  has  sent  a  letter  to  tKe  Gov 
ernor  by  this  mail,  and  if  Lyons  withdraws,  the  nego 
tiation  must  be  carried  on  in  London.  He  wants  me 
to  add  the  peculiar  injustice  of  the  English  talk  of  vio 
lence  in  seizing  Slidell.  The  business  was  done  in  the 
most  courteous  manner  in  which  it  could  be  and  the 
"sass"  in  the  Trent  was  all  English.  Our  men  were 
abused  and  assaulted,  called  "pirates"  and  black 
guarded,  and  answered  not  a  word.  And  if  England 
insists  on  war,  it  will  be  only  because  England  is  dis 
satisfied  that  we  did  n't  insist  on  all  our  "belligerent" 
rights,  and  the  curse  be  on  her  head.  The  facts  in  the 
case  you  will  have  before  this  and  make  the  most  of 
them. 

My  object  in  writing  this  is,  however,  to  tell  you 
that  I  have  received  my  commission.  I  leave  the  State 
Tuesday  next  with  my  regiment  for  Annapolis.  I  am  a 
1st  Lieutenant  and  to  be  Captain,  so  Colonel  Williams 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  87 

says,  and  heard  of  it  only  an  hour  ago.  This  is  all 
I  hoped  for  and  much  more  than  I  expected.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  December  20,  1861 

THE  great  event  of  the  past  week  on  this  side  is  the 
death  of  the  Prince  Consort.  From  the  time  of  my 
arrival  I  had  formed  a  very  favorable  opinion  of  the 
man.  Having  a  most  difficult  part  to  play  he  seemed 
to  me  to  acquit  himself  most  creditably.  A  feeble  per 
son  would  have  fallen  into  contempt.  A  vicious  one 
would  have  created  discord.  An  intriguing  one  would 
have  filled  the  Court  with  animosities  and  sharpened 
all  the  rivalries  of  parties.  He  was  neither.  His  capac 
ity  and  his  acquirements  commanded  the  respect  of 
the  most  powerful  subject.  His  moral  character  set  at 
defiance  all  malevolence.  And  his  prudence  preserved 
his  neutrality  from  the  assaults  of  contending  factions. 
Yet  he  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  been  popular  in 
any  class,  and  least  of  all  among  the  nobility.  He  was 
reserved  and  shy,  little  versed  in  the  arts  which  recom 
mend  a  man  to  others.  Few  were  disposed  to  give  him 
much  credit  until  they  lost  him.  Now  they  are  begin 
ning  to  open  then*  eyes  to  a  sense  of  his  value.  They 
discover  that  much  of  their  political  quietude  has  been 
due  to  the  judicious  exercise  of  his  influence  over  the 
Queen  and  the  Court,  and  they  do  not  conceal  their 
uneasiness  as  to  the  future  without  him.  The  young 
Prince  is  just  coming  of  age,  with  a  character  by  not 
means  formed.  The  younger  children  are  coming 


88  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [DEC.  20, 

forward  with  a  strong  curb  removed.  The  Queen  her 
self  has  no  guide  or  adviser  so  well  fitted  to  perform 
his  part  without  danger  of  political  complications  to 
disturb  her.  There  is  no  strength  in  any  purely  party 
organization  that  will  keep  the  government  steady. 
War  with  the  United  States  seems  imminent.  It  may 
spread  itself  all  over  Europe.  Where  is  the  master  to 
direct  this  storm,  if  he  cannot  arrest  it?  Is  it  Lord 
Palmerston  or  Earl  Russell?  I  trow  not.  Let  any  thing 
happen  to  Napoleon,  and  you  will  see.  He  is  their 
buckler  and  their  shield. 

As  to  us  I  fancy  you  can  understand  the  pleasant 
ness  of  the  position  we  are  occupying  in  the  mean  time. 
The  leading  newspapers  roll  out  as  much  fiery  lava  as 
Vesuvius  is  doing,  daily.  The  clubs  and  the  army  and 
the  navy  and  the  people  in  the  streets  generally  are 
raving  for  war.  On  the  other  side  are  the  religious  peo 
ple  and  a  large  number  of  stock  jobbers  and  traders, 
together  with  the  radical  following  of  Messrs.  Cobden 
and  Bright.  The  impression  is  general  that  Mr.  Sew- 
ard  is  resolved  to  insult  England  until  she  makes  a 
war.  He  is  the  bete  noir,  that  frightens  them  out  of  all 
their  proprieties.  It  is  of  no  use  to  deny  it  and  appeal 
to  facts.  They  quote  what  he  said  to  the  Duke  of  New 
castle  about  insulting  England  as  the  only  sure  pass 
port  to  popular  favor  in  America,  and  a  part  of  a  speech 
in  which  he  talked  of  annexing  Canada  as  an  offset  to 
the  loss  of  the  slave  states.  This  is  the  evidence  that 
Mr.  Seward  is  an  ogre  fully  resolved  to  eat  all  English 
men  raw.  Pitiful  as  is  all  this  nonsense,  it  is  of  no 
trifling  consequence  in  its  political  effect.  Even  our 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  89 

friend  Mr.  Thurlow  Weed  with  all  his  sagacity  is 
baffled  in  every  attempt  to  counteract  it.  And  if  war 
finally  happens,  it  will  trace  to  this  source  one  of  its 
most  prominent  causes. 

Of  course  I  feel  most  anxiously  the  position  of  my 
country,  and  of  those  who  are  enlisted  in  its  cause.  So 
far  as  I  now  see  the  field  it  is  much  less  alarming  than  it 
looked  some  weeks  ago.  Many  of  the  causes  of  appre 
hension  are  removed.  The  government  has  not  author 
ised  the  act  of  Captain  Wilkes,  neither  has  it  adopted 
it,  as  yet.  So  far,  so  good.  But  the  British  government 
will  not  rest  satisfied  with  that  position.  The  policy 
must  be  disavowed  and  the  men  replaced.  Such  is  my 
understanding  of  the  substance  no  matter  how  gently 
the  sense  may  be  conveyed.  Shall  we  do  either?  For 
my  part  I  think  justice  to  our  former  professions  de 
mands  it  of  us.  I  care  not  about  quibbles  concerning 
Sir  William  Scott's  law,  against  which  I  was  bred  in  a 
mortal  aversion.  He  is  no  idol  of  mine,  and  I  care  not 
how  soon  both  nations  join  to  knock  his  image  off  its 
pedestal.  But  what  my  opinion  may  be  is  one  thing. 
What  the  delusion  of  my  countrymen  is,  is  another  and 
very  different  one.  They  may  regard  Messrs.  Mason 
and  Slidell  as  more  precious  than  all  their  worldly  pos 
sessions.  May  be  so.  For  my  part  I  would  part  with 
them  at  a  cent  apiece. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Boston,  December  22,  1861 

You  may  imagine  that  we  are  waiting  here  anxiously 
to  hear  the  news  from  England,  but  I  think  you  over- 


90  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [DEC.  27, 

estimate  it.  People  seem  to  have  lost  all  apprehension 
of  war,  on  the  simple  theory  that  it  requires  two  to 
make  a  war,  as  it  does  to  make  a  bargain,  and  we  don't 
mean  to  fight  —  yet.  By  the  way,  why  did  you  never 
tell  me  of  the  tone  of  Seward's  despatches?  Here  they 
excite  the  greatest  admiration.  I  must  say,  I  don't 
think  I  ever  read  more  admirable  state  papers,  and 
I  look  with  renewed  admiration  on  the  consummate 
genius  which  could  produce  them.  They  have  gone  far 
to  reinstate  Seward  in  the  estimation  of  all  cultivated 
minds.  Sumner,  I  see,  is  riding  the  "nigger"  hobby 
still.  Why  can't  he  leave  it  alone.  Can't  he  see  that  it 
has  passed  beyond  laws  and  proclamations,  and  that 
day  by  day  we  are  working  at  that  volcano.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  December  27,  1861 

•j$, 

WE  watch  the  progress  of  events  in  America  by  the 
lurid  glare  of  the  passions  that  burn  on  this  side  of  the 
ocean.  The  last  news  we  have  brings  the  Europa  to 
Cape  Race.  The  next  will  probably  shew  us  your 
countenances  on  receiving  the  details.  I  have  been  so 
often  deceived  in  my  calculations  of  late  that  I  do  not 
pretend  to  foresee  what  the  picture  will  be.  You  took 
the  affair  of  the  Nashville  so  amiably  that  perhaps  you 
will  laugh  now.  I  have  never  before  met  with  an  in 
stance  so  striking  of  provoking  simplicity  in  a  nation. 
You  do  not  even  resort  to  the  most  ordinary  habit  of 
judging  of  others  by  yourselves.  Here  is  all  Europe 
from  end  to  end  arrayed  in  opinion  against  you,  and 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  91 

not  a  shade  of  suspicion  that  you  may  not  be  right  yet 
rests  upon  your  brows.  Lord  Stowell  carries  the  day  as 
if  he  were  your  legitimate  ruler  by  the  grace  of  God. 
It  is  unlucky  for  me  that  I  was  bred  up  in  declared 
hostility  to  the  arbitrary  dogmas  against  neutral  rights 
of  that  impersonation  of  Anglican  egotism,  so  that  I 
have  never  partaken  of  your  security.  A  day  or  two 
will  show  whether  the  government  will  prove  true  to 
its  ancient  well-established  principles,  or  whether  un 
der  the  paltry  inducement  of  personal  pique  it  will 
strike  into  a  new  path  that  will  lead  it  neither  to  glory 
nor  success.  My  own  convictions  still  are  that  it  will 
determine  right.  Thus  far  it  has  not  shown  a  false 
color  as  I  feared  under  the  first  popular  impulse  that 
it  might.  Yet  I  confess  I  dread  the  effect  of  the  pres 
sure  to  which  it  may  be  subjected.  The  result  will  soon 
be  upon  us.  ... 

Apropos  of  this  let  me  say  a  word  about  the  notion 
you  still  seem  to  entertain  that  Mr.  Seward  means  to 
bring  on  a  war.  Thus  far  I  have  always  maintained 
that  this  was  a  mistake  founded  on  a  bad  joke  of  his  to 
the  Duke  of  Newcastle  at  Governor  Morgan's  dinner 
to  the  Prince  of  Wales.  The  Duke  has  however  suc 
ceeded  in  making  everybody  in  authority  here  believe 
it.  Lord  Lyons  and  Mr.  Sumner  have  helped  on  the  de 
lusion  at  home.  Yet  I  have  no  hesitation  in  my  opin 
ion,  neither  do  I  find  that  Mr.  Thurlow  Weed,  with 
whom  I  compare  notes,  entertains  any  other.  Be  it  as 
it  may,  now  will  be  his  chance.  He  can  have  a  war,  if  he 
wants  one.  He  has  but  to  do  what  the  Duke  says  he 
told  him  he  meant  to  do,  i.e.  insult  the  British  govern- 


92  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [DEC.  28, 

ment  in  his  answer,  and  he  will  have  it  to  his  heart's 
content.  In  my  opinion  he  will  do  no  such  thing.  But 
if  I  am  right,  I  trust  that  from  that  time  no  more 
reliance  will  be  placed  upon  a  poor  pleasantry  uttered 
after  a  hospitable  entertainment,  to  a  mischief -making 
guest.  .  .  . 

The  people  of  Great  Britain  are  just  beginning  to 
think  that  the  Queen's  husband,  though  a  German, 
was  something  of  a  person,  after  all.  I  am  inclined  to 
believe  that  they  have  not  seen  a  royal  personage  equal 
to  him  since  the  days  of  William  the  Third.  Had  he 
lived  the  country  would  have  felt  more  and  more  the 
influence  of  his  presence.  For  parties  are  in  process  of 
disintegration,  and  personal  qualities  are  growing  more 
important.  The  old  Whig  dynasty  will  die  out  with 
Lord  Palmerston,  and  the  Tories  will  scarcely  outlive 
Lord  Derby.  New  issues  will  take  the  place  of  the  old 
ones,  just  as  they  have  done  with  us,  but  I  hope  for 
their  sakes  not  to  be  attended  with  a  similar  convul 
sion.  Yet  just  that  is  the  thing  they  in  their  inmost 
hearts  dread,  and  the  poor  people  fancy  they  are  going 
to  avoid  it  by  means  of  our  calamities. 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  December  28,  1861 

THE  difficulty  of  our  position  here  consists  first  in  the 
fact  that  the  South  are  in  London  a  nation,  and  in 
Washingon  no  nation;  and  second,  that  Seward  will  not 
submit  to  this  fact  as  an  evil  of  which  the  least  said 
the  better.  No  doubt  you  have  read  his  state  papers 


1861.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  93 

and  see  what  I  mean.  They  are  admirable  works; 
they  show  great  ability;  but  they  want  tact.  He  shaves 
closer  to  the  teeth  of  the  lion  than  he  ought.  No  one 
has  a  right  to  risk  so  much  for  a  mere  point  of  form. 

It  is  a  mere  point  of  form.  The  Nashville  business 
can  have  only  one  of  two  results:  one,  the  recognition 
of  the  belligerent  rights  of  the  South  by  our  Govern 
ment;  the  other,  a  suspension  of  relations,  either  pre 
ceding  or  following  measures  of  force,  as  threatened 
in  the  despatch  I  spoke  of  to  you,  now  published.  _ 

Again,  about  the  Trent  affair.  Our  lawyers  have 
shown  a  strange  want  of  close  logic.  The  seizure  of  the 
commissioners  can  only  be  justified  in  one  of  two  ways. 
If  Seward  sticks  to  his  rebel  theory,  he  must  claim  a 
right  to  do  that  which  is  most  repugnant  to  our  whole 
history  and  sense  of  right.  He  must  defend  a  viola 
tion  of  the  right  of  asylum. 

If  he  claims  them  as  contraband,  setting  aside  other 
legal  objections,  he  acknowledges  the  South  as  belliger 
ents,  by  the  act.  From  every  word  he  has  written  I  am 
bound  to  believe  that  he  will  not  do  the  latter.  But  if 
he  adheres  to  his  old  view,  I  can  see  no  means  of  pre 
serving  our  relations  with  this  Court  in  either  the 
Nashville  or  the  Trent  difficulties. 

For  these  reasons  I  think  that  our  stay  here  is  at  an 
end.  But  I  do  not  believe  in  war.  I  have  written  at 
some  length  on  this  in  my  letter  to  the  Times  this 
evening,  and  from  that  you  can  judge  whether  there 
will  be  war  or  no.  Lord  Lyons'  departure  will  not 
make  ours  necessary  unless  Seward  wishes  it. 

For  my  own  part  I  am  tired  of  this  life.   Every  at- 


94  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [DEC.  28. 

tempt  I  have  made  to  be  of  use  has  failed  more  or  less 
completely.  I  stand  no  stronger  than  the  first  day 
I  arrived.  I  cannot  find  that  I  have  effected  a  lodg 
ment  anywhere,  in  spite  of  many  exertions.  I  am  now 
at  a  loss  again  to  what  new  point  to  turn,  having  been 
beaten  back  everywhere;  and  hope  for  an  idea. 

You  are  going  into  the  army.  I  do  not  think  it  my 
duty  to  express  any  regrets  at  the  act,  or  at  the  necessity 
for  it.  They  are  understood,  and  I  do  not  mean  to 
make  the  thing  any  harder  for  either  you  or  myself, 
by  mourning  or  maundering  about  it.  About  my  own 
fortunes  I  am  becoming  more  and  more  callous  and 
indifferent;  but  about  yours,  I  feel  differently,  and  if 
it  were  not  for  the  strange  madness  of  the  times,  which 
has  left  no  longer  any  chance  of  settled  lives  and  Chris 
tian  careers,  I  should  be  vehement  against  your  throw 
ing  yourself  away  like  this.  As  it  is,  I  can  only  tell  you 
to  do  what  you  think  best,  and  I  shall  be  always  ready 
to  stand  by  you  with  what  aid  I  can  give. 

Inclosed  is  my  quarterly  draft  on  Raymond.  With 
this  and  what  money  of  mine  you  have  now  in  your 
hands,  there  ought  to  be  something  more  than  two  hun 
dred  dollars.  I  want  you  to  use  this  on  your  outfit,  to 
buy  a  horse,  or  equipments,  or  to  fit  out  your  com 
pany.  It  is  my  contribution  to  the  war  and  to  your 
start  in  pride,  pomp  and  circumstance.  .  .  . 

Thurlow  Weed  is  still  here,  very  active  indeed.  I 
have  tried  to  be  of  what  use  to  him  I  could,  but  with 
out  much  result.  He's  a  large  man;  a  very  tall  man 
indeed;  and  a  good  deal  taller  than  I  am.  So  I  can 
only  watch  and  admire  at  a  distance. 


1862 


1862 
CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

New  York,  January  3,  1862 

HERE  I  am  in  barracks  in  New  York  and  under  orders 
for  Port  Royal,  with  the  thermometer  about  zero  and 
a  small  pandemonium  all  around  me.  I  went  out  to 
camp  about  eight  days  ago  in  the  dead  of  winter,  and 
when  the  strong  north  wind  blew.  Sunday  we  struck 
our  camp  and  moved  for  the  South.  It  was  n't  a  pleas 
ant  day,  for  the  Blue  Hills  looked  cold  and  dreary  and 
snow  packed  on  the  deserted  camp  ground;  and  while 
the  earth  was  covered  with  ice  the  sky  was  grey  and 
uncompromising  and  the  wind  rough  and  cold.  It  was 
dismal  enough  I  assure  you  and  I  was  glad  enough 
when  we  were  hurried  into  the  cars.  John  was  the  only 
person  to  see  me  off,  much  to  my  relief,  for  I  was 
in  the  cross  and  hungry  rather  than  the  sentimental 
mood. 

Then  came  a  chapter  of  accidents.  Our  Major  got 
drunk  before  we  left  and  has  continued  so  ever  since, 
and  the  battalion  has  taken  care  of  itself.  That  officer 
has  now  disappeared,  we  hope  forever,  and  at  last  we 
have  got  ourselves  comfortably  quartered.  We  are 
barracked  in  a  German  amusement  building  and  grove 
on  64th  street,  and  our  horses  are  stabled  in  large  sheds 
not  far  off,  and  the  room  in  which  I  am  writing  is  the 
parlor  and  sleeping  room  of  the  officers  and  the  head- 


98  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS        [JAN.  3, 

quarters  of  the  battalion.  The  weather  is  beastly  cold 
and  very  windy,  and  the  horses  suffer  though  the  men 
are  comfortable.  As  for  me  I  never  was  better  in  my 
life.  The  exposure  has  been  pretty  severe  and  the 
change  of  life  great;  but  I  am  always  well  in  the  open 
air  and  jolly  among  a  crowd  of  fellows,  so  no  sympathy 
need  be  wasted  on  me.  I  like  it  and  like  it  better  than 
I  expected.  I  fall  into  the  life  very  easily  and  find 
my  spring  experience  at  the  fort  of  inestimable  service. 
Already  I  feel  as  much  at  home  in  charge  of  the  guard 
or  the  company  stables  as  I  ever  did  in  my  office.  I'm 
sure  if  I  like  it  so  far  I  shall  continue  to  do  so,  for  we  've 
had  a  pretty  rough  time,  and  Caspar  Crowninshield 
says  the  most  disgusting  he  ever  had.  But  I  certainly 
like  it  so  far  and  expect  to  continue  to  do  so. 

We  are  off  soon  —  probably  within  ten  days  —  for 
Port  Royal.  We  like  the  idea  fairly,  though  we  would 
prefer  to  go  to  other  places.  For  myself  I  should  prefer 
to  winter  at  Annapolis,  and  next  to  that  to  be  sent  to 
Texas,  but  as  for  being  cooped  up  on  Hilton  Head  all 
winter,  I  don't  relish  the  idea  much,  though  as  regards 
climate  it  will  be  a  pleasant  change.  As  for  active  serv 
ice,  it's  just  impossible.  You  could  n't  get  our  horses 
within  a  mile  of  firearms,  and  the  drilling  task  before 
us  is  something  terrible  to  contemplate.  We  are  all 
green,  officers,  men  and  horses,  and  long  practice  is 
absolutely  necessary.  But  we  can  do,  I  imagine,  picket 
and  camp  duty.  My  wants  (?)  will  probably  be  found 
on  board  ship. 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  99 

CHAKLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  January  10,  1862 

CAPTAIN  WILKES  has  not  positively  shipwrecked  us, 
but  he  has  come  as  near  to  it  without  succeeding  as  he 
could.  Thus  far  the  country  has  been  at  least  saved  the 
danger  of  setting  up  military  idols.  This  reconciles  me 
a  little  to  the  slowness  of  our  operations.  Another  con 
sideration  is  the  crushing  nature  of  our  expenditure 
which  must  stop  this  war,  if  something  effective  does 
not  follow  soon.  It  is  idle  to  talk  of  putting  down  the 
rebellion  whilst  our  power  is  resisted  successfully  within 
a  dozen  miles  of  the  capital.  This  idea  prevails  so 
much  here  that  it  will  undoubtedly  become  the  basis 
of  a  movement  for  recognition  before  long.  .  .  . 

The  first  effect  of  the  surrender  of  Messrs.  Mason 
and  Slidell  has  been  extraordinary.  The  current  which 
ran  against  us  with  such  extreme  violence  six  weeks  ago 
now  seems  to  be  going  with  equal  fury  in  our  favor. 
The  reaction  in  the  city  was  very  great  yesterday,  and 
even  the  most  violent  of  the  presses,  the  Times  and  the 
Post,  are  for  the  moment  a  little  tamed.  Possibly,  if 
nothing  else  should  intervene  to  break  its  force,  this 
favoring  gale  may  carry  us  through  the  first  half  of 
the  session  of  Parliament,  in  other  words,  until  the  first 
of  May.  If  by  that  time  we  shall  have  made  no  de 
cided  progress  towards  a  result,  we  may  as  well  make 
up  our  minds  to  disbelieve  in  our  power  to  do  it  at 
all.  Foreign  nations  will  come  to  that  conclusion  if 
we  do  not.  , 


100  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JAN.  10, 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  January  10,  1862 

THE  news  of  the  surrender  of  the  unhung  arrived  yes 
terday,  and  gave  us  much  satisfaction.  It  was  particu 
larly  grateful  to  me  because  the  ground  taken  is  that 
which  the  Chief  recommended  in  an  early  despatch  to 
the  Government,  in  which  he  quoted  Madison's  words. 
The  effect  here  is  good  and  will  help  us,  but  I  have  little 
hope  that  we  shall  be  able  to  maintain  ourselves  here 
much  longer.  I  fear  that  the  meeting  of  Parliament 
will  be  the  signal  for  a  grand  battle,  and  March  wrill 
see  us  en  route  for  somewhere. 

Still  there  is  great  activity  among  our  friends  here  in 
preparing  for  the  struggle,  and  Thurlow  Weed  is  or 
ganising  our  forces  effectively.  We  shall  die  hard  I 
think,  and  England  will  have  little  to  be  proud  of. 
The  blockade  is  the  place  where  the  shoe  pinches,  and 
the  blockade  is  now  very  perfect,  I  should  judge.  We 
shall  see  what  they  mean  to  do.  .  .  . 

Financially  we  are  dished.  There  is  but  one  resort, 
and  that  is  severe  direct  taxation.  It  is  in  this  way 
alone  that  the  expenses  of  all  modern  wars  in  Europe 
have  been  borne,  and  we  must  come  to  it  at  last,  or 
repudiate.  The  latter  is  out  of  the  question,  but  the 
Lord  knows. 

The  Legation  is  tolerably  quiet  just  now,  with  little 
doing.  Government  has  behaved  well  in  the  Nash 
ville  business,  and  that  vessel  is  now  under  our  guns 
and  without  increased  armament.  Meanwhile  the 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  1W' 


Sumter  has  turned  up  and  is  making  trouble  in  Spain. 
I  wish  to  God  the  Tuscarora  could  catch  her  and  sink 
her. 

Today  I  find  myself  in  a  scrape  that  is  by  no  manner 
of  means  agreeable.  The  Courier  in  putting  my  name 
to  my  "Diary"  has  completely  used  me  up.  To  my 
immense  astonishment  and  dismay  I  found  myself  this 
morning  sarsed  through  a  whole  column  of  the  Times, 
and  am  laughed  at  by  all  England.  You  can  imagine 
my  sensations.  Unless  something  occurs  to  make  me 
forgotten,  my  bed  is  not  likely  to  be  one  of  roses  for 
some  time  to  come.  There  is  nothing  to  be  done  but  to 
grin  and  bear  it.  But  for  the  present  I  shall  cease  my 
other  writings  as  I  am  in  agonies  for  fear  they  should 
be  exposed.  I  wish  I  could  get  at  Raymond,  as  I  don't 
want  to  write  myself,  for  fear  my  letter  should  get  out. 
Could  n't  you  write  to  him  and  explain,  without  men 
tioning  names,  why  his  London  correspondent  has 
stopped  for  a  time.  My  connection  with  him  must  on 
no  account  be  known.  The  Chief  as  yet  bears  this  vex 
ation  very  good-naturedly,  but  another  would  be  my 
ruin  for  a  long  time.  I  don't  want  him  ever  to  know 
about  it.  ... 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

"Empire  City,"  Of  Port  Royal 
Friday,  January,  1862 

WE  are  just  making  harbor  on  the  fifth  day  out,  after 
a  decidedly  rough  and  long  passage.  We  ought  to  have 
got  in  yesterday,  but  missed  the  harbor  and  for  the  last 
twenty-four  hours  have  been  cruising  up  and  down 


102     ;A  'CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS    [JAN.. 

the  coast,  in  a  northeaster,  between  Tybee  island  and 
Charleston  light,  and  will  barely  get  in  today.  The 
voyage  has  been  very  severe  on  our  horses  which  look 
most  decidedly  used  up,  and  a  fair  average  of  men  have 
been  down  and  could  fully  describe  the  pleasures  of 
seasickness  —  as  also  could  most  of  the  officers,  includ 
ing  myself,  who  passed  the  second  day  out  on  my  back, 
but  since  then  have  picked  up  sufficiently  to  be  on  my 
feed,  drink,  and  smoke,  and  round  while  my  bed  is 
made.  We  have  left  the  winter  fairly  behind  us  and 
now  in  a  couple  of  days  we  shall  settle  down  at  Beau 
fort,  but  what  to  do,  the  Lord  only  knows.  .  .  . 

You  set  up  for  a  philosopher.  You  write  letters  a  la 
Horace  Walpole;  you  talk  of  loafing  round  Europe; 
you  pretend  to  have  seen  life.  Such  twaddle  makes  me 
feel  like  a  giant  Warrington  talking  to  an  infant  Pen- 
dennis.  You  "tired  of  this  life"!  You  more  and  more 
"callous  and  indifferent  about  your  own  fortunes!" 
Pray  how  old  are  you  and  what  has  been  your  career? 
You  graduate  and  pass  two  years  in  Europe,  and  wit 
ness  by  good  luck  a  revolution.  You  come  home  and 
fall  upon  great  historic  events  and  have  better  chances 
than  any  young  man  to  witness  and  become  acquainted 
with  them.  You  go  abroad  while  great  questions  are 
agitated  in  a  position  to  know  all  about  them.  Fortune 
has  done  nothing  but  favor  you  and  yet  you  are  "tired 
of  this  life."  You  are  beaten  back  everywhere  before 
you  are  twenty-four,  and  finally  writing  philosophical 
letters  you  grumble  at  the  strange  madness  of  the  times 
and  have  n't  even  faith  in  God  and  the  spirit  of  your 
age.  What  do  you  mean  by  thinking,  much  less  writ- 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  103 

ing  such  stuff?  "No  longer  any  chance  left  of  settled 
lives  and  Christian  careers!"  Do  you  suppose  the 
world  is  coming  to  an  end  now?  Had  n't  you  better 
thank  God  that  your  lot  is  cast  in  great  times?  How 
am  I  throwing  myself  away?  Is  n't  a  century's  work 
of  my  ancestors  worth  a  struggle  to  preserve?  Am  I 
likely  to  do  so  much  that  it  won't  do  for  me  to  risk  my 
precious  life  in  this  great  struggle?  Come  —  no  more 
of  this.  Don't  get  into  this  vein  again,  or  if  you  do, 
keep  it  to  yourself.  .  .  .  We  shall  come  out  all  right  and 
if  we  don't,  the  world  will.  Excuse  me  if  I  have  been 
rough,  but  it  will  do  you  good.  .  .  . 

We  are  just  taking  a  pilot  on  board  off  Hilton  Head 
and  in  a  few  hours  we  shall  sully  the  soil  of  Carolina.  Ah, 
would  n't  I  like  to  ride  into  Charleston !  I  don't  know 
when  you  will  hear  from  me  again,  but  perhaps  my 
letters  will  come  as  regularly  as  ever.  We  shall  be  very 
busy  and  hard  at  work  for  some  time  and  may  soon  see 
service.  I  well  know  how  eagerly  the  news  from  Port 
Royal  will  be  wished  for  in  the  breakfast  room  of  the 
Legation  at  London.  Meanwhile  I  am  very  well  and 
in  very  good  spirits  and  look  forward  to  having  a  very 
pleasant  time,  though  very  monotonous  and  so  keep 
the  parents  easy.  .  .  . 

WTe  have  just  arrived  at  Hilton  Head  and  come 
to  anchor.  We  are  going  up  to  Beaufort  tomorrow. 
Weather  delicious  and  all  well.  . 


104  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JAN.  22. 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  January  %%,  1862 

FOR  life  here  is  by  no  means  what  it  is  cracked  up  to 
be.  The  Trent  business  coming  first  destroyed  all  our 
country  visits,  for  people  have  given  up  inviting  us,  on 
the  just  supposition  that  we  would  n't  care  to  go  into 
society  now.  The  small  list  of  friends  that  we  have  are 
not  always  so  American  as  one  would  like.  So  we 
generally  dodge  "exposure"  as  much  as  possible.  But 
I  am  personally  flabbergasted  by  the  explosion  of  my 
Manchester  bomb,  or  more  properly,  the  return  of 
the  boomerang  which  has  made  me  too  notorious  to 
be  pleasant.  The  Times  gently  skinned  me  and  the 
Examiner  scalped  me  with  considerable  savageness. 
For  myself  I  care  about  as  much  for  the  Times  or  the 
Examiner  as  I  do  for  the  Pekin  Gazette;  but,  unfortu 
nately,  the  American  Minister  in  London  is  at  this  time 
an  object  of  considerable  prominence;  an  eyesore  to 
an  influential  and  somewhat  unscrupulous  portion 
of  the  community.  Accordingly  I  form  a  convenient 
head  to  punch  when  people  feel  vicious  and  pugna 
cious.  I  have,  therefore,  to  change  the  metaphor,  found 
it  necessary  to  take  in  every  spare  inch  of  canvas  and 
to  run  (on  a  lee-shore)  under  double-close-reefed  miz- 
zen  to'  gallant  skysails,  before  a  tremendous  gale.  In 
other  words  I  have  made  myself  as  little  an  object  of 
attack  as  possible.  This  reduces  my  means  of  useful 
ness  to  almost  nothing  and  I  might  just  as  well  be  any 
where  as  here,  except  that  I  can't  leave  the  parent 
birds  thus  afloat  on  the  raging  tide. 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  105 

We  are  sometimes  anxious  still  and  are  likely  to  be 
more  so.  The  truth  is,  we  are  now  in  a  corner.  There 
is  but  one  way  out  of  it  and  that  is  by  a  decisive 
victor^7.  If  there's  not  a  great  success,  and  a  suc 
cess  followed  up,  within  six  weeks,  we  may  better  give 
up  the  game  than  blunder  any  more  over  it.  These 
nations,  France  probably  first,  will  raise  the  block 
ade. 

Such  is  the  fact  of  our  position.  I  am  ready  for  it 
anyway,  but  I  do  say  now  that  McClellan  must  do 
something  within  six  weeks  or  we  are  done.  This  war 
has  lasted  long  enough,  to  my  mind. 

There  is  precious  little  to  tell  you  about  here.  France 
has  again  renewed  her  proposal  to  raise  the  blockade 
and  there  has  been  a  discussion,  or  a  battle  about  it. 
Prince  Albert  was  strongly  for  peace  with  us,  and  now 
that  he  is  dead  it  is  understood  that  the  Queen  con 
tinues  to  favor  his  policy.  Besides  her,  the  King  of 
Belgium  has  come  over  and  is  pressing  earnestly  for 
peace.  His  great  object  always  is  to  counteract  French 
influence  when  it  points  to  war.  We  have  a  majority 
(probably)  in  the  Cabinet  of  neutrality  men,  nor  do  I 
know  whom  to  call  the  leader  of  the  war-party  in  the 
Ministry.  You  must  not  misunderstand  Palmerston. 
He  means  disunion,  but  not  war  unless  under  special 
influences. 

We  gave'  a  dinner  last  week  to  Bishop  Mcllvaine, 
and  I  went  with  mamma  another  day  to  breakfast  with 
Mr.  Senior.  Met  there  the  chief  man  of  the  Times, 
Lowe.  He  never  speaks  to  any  of  us,  and  I  certainly 
should  n't  care  to  seem  to  make  up  to  him.  .  .  . 


106  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JAN.  si. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  January  24,  1862 

THE  Trent  case  has  not  blown  hard  enough  to  carry 
me  away  from  my  post  of  duty  here.  But  it  is  not 
quite  calm  for  all  that.  The  rebel  emissaries  and 
their  sympathisers  are  continually  at  work  puffing  up 
grievances  and  straining  out  falsehoods,  and  they  find 
multitudes  of  not  unwilling  ears.  One  day  it  is  the 
barbarism  of  savage  blockade  by  filling  up  harbors; 
the  next,  it  is  the  wretched  pretence  of  paper  blockade, 
respected  by  nobody.  All  this  shows  the  eagerness  to 
clutch  at  some  pretext  for  interference.  The  expedi 
tion  to  Mexico  is  taking  extraordinary  proportions 
just  now,  which  may  not  be  without  its  significance 
under  possible  contingencies.  Political  matters  being 
a  little  dull  on  this  side,  it  would  seem  as  if  people 
would  like  to  take  a  hand  in  the  quarrel  in  America. 
I  do  not  wish  harm  to  any  body,  but  if  the  Austrians 
and  the  Italians  should  fall  to  belaboring  each  other  a 
bit  just  at  this  moment,  so  as  to  turn  the  public  atten 
tion  from  our  continent,  I  do  not  know  that  I  should 
regard  it  as  wholly  a  misfortune.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  January  31,  1862 

THE  disputed  mock-heroes,  who  came  so  near  creating 
a  war  between  people  vastly  better  than  themselves, 
have  arrived  safe  and  sound  in  this  city.  But  for  the 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  107 

usual  notice  in  the  newspapers  nobody  would  have 
known  it.  I  doubt  whether  the  presence  of  one  person 
more  or  less  will  have  any  very  serious  effect  upon  the 
current  of  public  events,  which  depends  far  more  upon 
the  results  now  taking  place  with  you  than  upon  any 
action  here.  ...  In  the  meanwhile  the  newspapers 
indulge  their  respective  fancies  as  freely  as  ever.  Their 
abuse  is  not  very  pleasant,  but  I  am  always  consoled 
for  it,  when  I  reflect  that  Lord  Lyons  is  likely  to  get 
about  as  much  on  his  side.  The  balance  of  national 
invective  being  thus  kept  about  even,  I  do  not  see  why 
we  cannot  consider  the  one  side  as  neutralising  the 
other,  and  nothing  left.  ...  In  any  event  I  shall  re 
tain  the  conviction  that  the  endeavor  to  excite  enmity 
against  us  here  has  a  purely  political  origin,  and  does 
not  find  its  root  deep  in  the  heart  of  the  community. 
It  pleases  an  influential  class  to  think  that  the  demon 
of  democracy  may  be  laid  at  home,  if  it  can  be  stripped 
of  its  American  garb.  Perhaps  they  are  right,  though 
I  do  not  believe  it.  No  more  fatal  mistake  can  be 
committed  by  them  than  that  of  taking  up  the  cause 
of  a  slaveholding  oligarchy  to  prove  the  fact.  Every 
step  in  its  progress  would  be  a  new  argument  against 
them.  For  it  would  more  and  more  establish  the  fact 
of  their  want  of  sympathy  with  free  institutions  and 
the  progress  of  the  age.  Hence  the  decline  of  their 
power  over  the  public  mind  would  be  precipitated 
rather  than  retarded,  and  the  end  would  come  just  as 
surely.  .  .  . 


108  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JAN.  31, 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  January  31,  1862 

WE  are  going  ahead  just  as  usual  and  our  position  has 
not  varied.  The  only  fault  I  am  disposed  to  find  is 
the  old  and  chronic  one  with  our  Chief,  and  for  that 
matter,  with  me  also,  of  not  extending  his  relations 
enough.  I  want  him  to  cultivate  the  diplomatic  corps, 
which  has  been  greatly  neglected  and  from  which 
many  advantages  may  be  drawn.  About  the  English 
it  does  not  so  much  matter.  They  are  so  extremely 
jealous  of  whatever  looks  like  foreign  influence  that  on 
the  whole  they  are  better  left  to  themselves.  We  have 
now  a  tolerably  good  organization  in  our  branch  of  the 
press,  and  Weed  is  extending  this  rapidly.  He  can  do 
everything  that  we  cannot  do,  and  a  single  blunder  on 
our  side  that  would  bring  the  Legation  into  discredit, 
would  much  more  than  compensate  for  any  advantage 
we  are  likely  to  get  from  bold  action.  Since  my  ex 
posure  in  the  papers  here,  I  have  wholly  changed  my 
system,  and  having  given  up  all  direct  communication 
with  the  public,  am  engaged  in  stretching  my  private 
correspondence  as  far  as  possible.  This  I  hope  to  do 
to  some  purpose,  and  with  luck  I  may  make  as  much 
headway  so,  as  I  could  in  any  other  way. 

The  two  unhung  arrived  after  all.  Evidently  they 
are  born  for  the  gallows,  as  the  sea  casts  them  out. 
Their  detention  of  two  months  was  a  great  stroke  of 
luck  for  us  in  my  opinion.  Their  party  here  had  made 
all  their  preparations  for  a  war,  and  stopped  their  old 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  109 

game  almost  wholly.  Peace  was  a  great  blow  to  them, 
and  has  disconcerted  all  their  plans.  For  two  months 
they  ceased  to  send  supplies  to  the  South;  they  kept 
the  Nashville  in  port;  and  they  worked  on  a  whole  line 
of  manoeuvres  which  are  now  regularly  knocked  into 
a  cocked  hat.  Slidell  might  have  been  dangerous  in 
France,  for  the  Emperor  was  very  shaky,  but  Seward's 
course  and  Weed's  dexterity  just  turned  the  corner 
and  now  Slidell's  first  reception  is  the  announcement 
of  Napoleon's  continued  neutrality.  Up  to  the  last 
moment  the  beggars  were  confident  that  directly  the 
opposite  course  would  be  taken.  Then,  in  expectation 
of  a  war,  the  Nashville  was  kept  in  port.  The  Tuscarora 
arrived  just  in  time;  and  now  Mason  is  received  here 
with  the  news  that  the  Nashville  can  no  longer  remain 
in  port  but  that  both  she  and  the  Tuscarora  must 
proceed  to  sea. 

And  now  the  great  battle  is  coming  and  we  shall  see 
lively  times.  Parliament  meets  on  the  6th.  The  rep 
robates  are  as  usual  very  sanguine  that  there  will  be 
intervention,  and  that  the  Ministry  will  be  compelled 
to  recognize  or  resign.  A  battle  there  will  be,  no  doubt, 
but  unless  we  are  defeated  at  home,  I  think  we  shall 
yet  maintain  ourselves  here.  The  opposition  to  inter 
vention  of  any  sort  will  be  bitter  in  the  extreme.  They 
are  well  organised,  I  understand,  but  they  are  too  vul 
nerable  to  stand  a  long  contest,  and  we  shall  not  give 
up  with  a  short  one.  Still,  much  is  yet  in  the  dark 
as  to  our  relative  strength.  Lord  Russell  distinctly 
stated  the  other  day,  in  private  conversation  with  the 
Due  D'Aumale,  that  he  thought  we  should  conquer 


110  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JAN.  si. 

the  South  in  the  end.  If  he  thinks  so  he  surely 
won't  countenance  interference.  And  if  the  Ministry 
are  firm,  we  are  safe. 

Parliament  will  bring  society,  and  this  I  dread.  The 
son  of  the  American  Minister  is  likely  to  meet  with 
precious  little  favorable  criticism  in  London  society  in 
these  days,  and,  after  all,  I'm  very  little  of  a  society 
man.  I  do  not  mean  to  press  myself  on  this  quarter, 
but  rather  to  avoid  notice  and  be  all  the  more  active 
where  no  one  sees  me.  I  can't  do  much,  but  I  think  I 
can  make  myself  of  some  use. 

I  was  surprised  to  hear  that  you  were  to  go  to  Port 
Royal.  I  can't  conceive  of  your  being  placed  there 
except  for  service,  but  I  should  guess  that  at  least  half 
your  regiment  would  be  more  likely  to  break  their  own 
necks  than  to  hurt  an  enemy  in  a  battle.  If  you  see  the 
correspondent  of  the  London  Star  there,  a  youth  named 
Edge,  pray  make  his  acquaintance  and  tell  him  that 
Moran,  Wilson  and  I  are  all  particularly  anxious  to 
know  whether  that  travelling  suit  is  worn  out  yet,  or 
the  telescope  used  up.  He  is  not  a  bad  fellow,  though 
rather  long-winded,  and  his  employers  are  warm  allies 
of  ours  here  with  great  influence.  They  like  his  letters, 
as  we  all  do,  but  wish  there  were  more  of  them  and 
longer.  At  last  accounts  he  was  doing  the  fever  and 
toping  on  quinine.  I  hope  you  will  forswear  that  lux 
ury,  not  uncommon,  it  appears,  in  that  neighborhood. 

We  are  dreading  the  next  news.  I  hardly  dare  think 
of  a  battle  and  we  all  are  tacitly  agreed  not  to  talk 
about  it.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  our  advices  are  not 
quite  so  satisfactory  as  we  would  like.  But  the  darkest 
hour  before  the  dawn.  .  .  . 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  111 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  MOTHER 

Beaufort,  S.C.,  February  2,  1862 
•          ••••••••• 

I  WAS  then  in  the  delicious  doubt  of  our  first  picket 
detail  which  I  was  to  command.  After  all  it  did  n't 
come  to  much  and  the  only  danger  I  had  to  face  arose 
from  the  terror  of  my  own  horses  at  the  sight  of  the 
sabres  of  my  men  and  at  the  dulcet  sounds  of  the  band 
at  guard  mounting.  Lord!  what  a  time  I  had,  and 
for  an  instant  your  son  proved  himself  a  trooper  in  pro 
fanity  at  least.  But  imagine  the  feelings  of  a  young 
officer  leading  the  first  detail  of  his  regiment  ever  seen 
at  a  public  parade  on  seeing  his  men  and  horses  go 
shooting  over  the  field  in  all  directions  like  squibs  on 
the  4th  of  July.  With  stern  decision  I  at  once  disgraced 
and  sent  home  two  horses  and  their  riders  and  pa 
raded  the  rest  in  style,  marching  them  in  review  in  a 
way  which  almost  restored  our  honor.  Then  I  escorted 
the  officer  of  the  day  to  his  post  and  stationed  my 
details  and  then  visited  the  outposts. 

We  are  all  alone  on  an  island  here,  and  on  its  shores 
our  pickets  stand  and  gaze  placidly  at  the  pickets  of 
the  enemy  on  the  shore  opposite.  About  three  times 
a  week  one  party  or  the  other  try  to  cross  in  boats  and 
get  fired  at,  but  no  one  ever  seems  to  be  hurt  and  so  the 
danger  is  apparently  not  alarming.  I  visited  our  fur 
thest  pickets  and  found  them  on  BarnwelTs  Island 
at  the  house  of  Mr.  Trescot,  the  author  of  whom  we 
have  heard.  It  is  n't  a  pleasant  picture,  this  result  of 
war.  Here  was  a  new  house  on  a  beautiful  island  and 


A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [FEB.  14, 

surrounded  with  magnificent  cotton  fields,  built  evi 
dently  by  a  gentleman  of  refinement  and  very  recently, 
and  there  was  the  garden  before  it  filled  with  rubbish, 
and  within  broken  furniture,  scraps  of  books  and  let 
ters,  and  all  the  little  tokens  of  a  refined  family. 
Scattered  over  the  floors  and  piled  in  the  corners  were 
the  remains  of  a  fine  library  of  books  of  many  lan 
guages,  and  panels  and  glasses  were  broken  wherever 
so  doing  was  thought  an  easier  course  than  to  unlock  or 
open.  I  wandered  round  and  looked  out  at  the  view 
and  wondered  why  this  people  had  brought  all  this 
upon  themselves;  and  yet  I  could  n't  but  pity  them. 
For  I  thought  how  I  should  feel  to  see  such  sights  at 
Quincy.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  February  14,  1862 
Good  morrow,  't  is  St.  Valentine's  day 

All  in  the  morning  betime. 
And  I  a  maid  at  your  window 

To  be  your  Valentine. 

HAIL,  noble  lieutenant!  I  have  received  your  letter 
written  on  board  ship,  and  I  am  with  you.  Now  that 
you  are  at  work,  if  you  see  or  do  anything  or  hear  some 
thing  that  will  make  a  good  letter  to  be  published,  send 
it  to  me  and  I  think  I  can  promise  that  it  shall  see  the 
light.  Thus  you  can  do  double  work,  and  if  you  write 
well,  perhaps  you  can  get  double  pay.  I  shall  exercise 
my  discretion  as  to  omissions.  .  .  . 

You  find  fault  with  my  desponding  tone  of  mind.  So 
do  I.  But  the  evil  is  one  that  probably  lies  where  I 
can't  get  at  it.  I  've  disappointed  myself,  and  experi- 


JOHN  BRIGHT 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  113 

ence  the  curious  sensation  of  discovering  myself  to  be 
a  humbug.  How  is  this  possible?  Do  you  understand 
how,  without  a  double  personality,  /  can  feel  that  7 
am  a  failure?  One  would  think  that  the  /  which  could 
feel  that,  must  be  a  different  ego  from  the  /  of  which 
it  is  felt. 

You  are  so  fortunate  as  to  be  able  to  forget  self- 
contemplation  in  action,  I  suppose;  but  with  me,  my 
most  efficient  channels  of  action  are  now  cut  off,  and 
I  am  busy  in  creating  new  ones,  which  is  a  matter  that 
demands  much  time  and  even  then  may  not  meet  with 
success. 

Politically  there  is  no  news  here.  We  shall  be  al 
lowed  to  fight  our  battle  out,  I  think;  at  least  for  some 
time  yet.  Parliament  has  met  and  the  speeches  have 
been  very  favorable  to  neutrality.  I  think  our  work 
here  is  past  its  crisis.  The  insurgents  will  receive  no 
aid  from  Europe,  and  so  far  are  beaten.  Our  victory 
is  won  on  this  side  the  water.  On  your  side  I  hope  it 
will  soon  be  so  too.  .  .  .  John  Bright  is  my  favorite 
Englishman.  He  is  very  pleasant,  cheerful  and  cour 
ageous  and  much  more  sanguine  than  I  have  usually 
been. .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  February  21,  1862 
•          ••••••••« 

OF  course  if  you  remain  on  the  island  there  can  be  lit 
tle  use  for  your  arm  of  the  service,  so  I  presume  you 
may  be  employed  mainly  in  the  labor  of  the  manege. 
And  even  if  on  the  mainland  I  cannot  well  conceive 


114  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [FEB.  21, 

what  business  you  can  have  in  a  region  so  sparsely  set 
tled  with  whites  and  with  few  elements  of  aptitude  for 
military  operations.  Neither  Savannah  nor  Charleston 
can  be  taken  by  cavalry,  and  apart  from  these  ports 
what  is  there  in  that  country  important  to  the  object 
of  the  war? 

To  be  sure  you  may  individually  obtain  much  insight 
into  the  economy  of  that  densely  populated  slave  re 
gion,  and  thus  reinforce  your  means  of  speculating  on 
the  cotton  producing  theory.  If  so,  I  should  very  well 
like  to  see  the  conclusions  to  which  you  may  come. 
To  me  at  this  distance  it  looks  very  much  as  if  the 
slave  tenure  must  be  irreparably  damaged  by  the  social 
convulsion  through  which  the  country  is  passing,  but 
I  confess  myself  puzzled  to  see  what  is  likely  to  take  its 
place.  I  learn  that  some  letters  reach  here  from  Caro 
lina  planters  declaring  that  they  are  utterly  ruined. 
The  end  to  them  may  then  be  emigration.  And  what 
then?  Is  it  a  community  of  negroes  requiring  to  be 
taught  the  very  rudiments  of  social  and  political 
economy?  .  .  . 

The  Trent  affair  has  proved  thus  far  somewhat  in 
the  nature  of  a  sharp  thunderstorm  which  has  burst 
without  doing  any  harm,  and  the  consequence  has  been 
a  decided  improvement  of  the  state  of  the  atmosphere. 
Our  English  friends  are  pleased  with  themselves  and 
pleased  with  us  for  having  given  them  the  opportunity 
to  be  so.  The  natural  effect  is  to  reduce  the  apparent 
dimensions  of  all  other  causes  of  offense.  The  Man 
chester  people  are  patient  and  uncomplaining.  The 
distress  is  not  yet  of  such  a  kind  as  to  give  rise  to  much 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  115 

uneasiness,  and  the  blockade  shuts  up  the  expectation 
of  cotton  enough  to  stimulate  the  prospect  of  produc 
tion  in  other  quarters,  so  that  England  shall  not  be 
again  subject  to  a  similar  catastrophe.  In  the  meantime 
industry  naturally  seeks  new  channels,  and  emigration 
affords  a  steady  outlet.  So  that  I  am  now  quite  encour 
aged  to  think  that  the  prospect  of  interference  with 
us  is  growing  more  and  more  remote.  All  that  I  have 
ever  sought  for  has  been  the  opportunity  of  developing 
our  policy  of  repression.  At  first  I  confess  I  had  little 
confidence  in  its  success.  But  of  late  I  have  been 
thinking  better  and  better  of  it.  And  it  seems  to  me 
that  the  same  impression  is  growing  all  around  me.  ... 
The  struggle  is  a  tremendous  one,  and  must  not  be 
measured  hastily.  I  pity  the  people  of  the  southern 
states,  but  I  have  no  mercy  for  their  profligate  lead 
ers,  who  have  wantonly  brought  them  to  such  a 
catastrophe. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Beaufort,  S.C.,  February  28,  1862 

MY  life  here  is  very  charming  and  pleasant,  but  is 
growing  monotonous.  I  dread  the  idea  of  being  here 
much  longer,  though  any  change  is  almost  certain  to 
be  for  the  worse  and  the  sameness  of  stable-duty,  drill 
and  camp  life  is  telling  on  all  of  us.  A  prettier  place 
than  Beaufort  would  be  hard  to  find,  and  a  finer  cli 
mate  I  do  not  want  to  see;  but  nothing  marks  the  days 
as  they  pass,  and  few  know  less  of  the  progress  of  the 
war  than  we,  in  the  heart  of  South  Carolina  and  in 


116  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [FEB.  28, 

sight  of  the  enemy's  pickets.  How  long  this  will  last 
we  can't  tell,  but  I  fear  for  a  good  while;  for  there  are 
no  signs  of  real  activity  here,  and  now  we  all  feel  a 
desire  to  soon  leave  this  Capua  for  the  free,  changing 
life  of  Tennessee,  Missouri  or  even  Texas.  Nothing, 
I  fear,  but  foreign  intervention  will  get  us  out  of  this, 
however,  and  I  imagine  our  destiny  is  either  to  fight  at 
home  against  England  and  France  or  to  march  into 
Charleston. 

Meanwhile  I  am  very  well  and  very  comfortable, 
save  in  some  respects  of  position  with  which  I  will  not 
trouble  you  and  which  will  cure  themselves.  To  us  it  is 
now  more  of  a  picnic  than  war,  and  I  live  in  as  much 
luxury  almost  in  my  tent  as  I  ever  did  at  home.  We 
are  all  very  well  and  as  brown  and  dirty  as  nuts,  and 
I  have  never  enjoyed  life  more  than  in  the  army.  In 
fact,  my  college  days  seem  to  have  come  back  to  me, 
but  bereft  of  most  of  their  cares.  I  have  been  doing  a 
good  deal  of  detailed  duty  and  have  pretty  thoroughly 
explored  this  island  and  last  week  they  made  me  Judge 
Advocate  to  a  Court  of  Inquiry,  and  these  give  quite 
a  variety  to  life  and  took  me  away  effectually  from 
certain  annoyances  of  my  camp  life;  but  they've 
found  me  out  now  and  I'm  steadily  kept  here,  while 
my  pleasant  rides  and  expectations  have  come  to  an 
end.  Socially  also  things  are  extremely  agreeable  here. 
Colonel  Sargent  is  in  immediate  command  and  recent 
experiences  have  made  me  feel  as  if  walled  in  with 
friends.  My  tentmate,  Davis,  is  the  very  man  I  need 
and  it  is  generally  supposed  in  camp  that  he  is  a  sort 
of  nurse  and  guardian  for  me  and  that  without  his 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  117 

fostering  care  I  should  be  a  tentless  wanderer.  In  fact 
my  family  will  be  pleased  to  know  that  my  announce 
ment  that  at  home  I  had  always  been  considered  rather 
an  old  Betty  was  received  with  shouts  of  derision,  and 
in  camp  here,  in  all  matters  of  comfort,  I  enjoy  the  rep 
utation  of  being  the  most  careless,  shiftless  and  slip 
shod  devil  in  the  whole  battalion.  Still  I  get  on  well 
enough,  but  I  do  not  grow  here,  or,  rather,  should  not 
long.  The  life  and  experience  will  have  its  uses  for  me 
and  they  will  be  great,  but  it  is  not  the  life  for  me  for 
a  permanency.  The  mind  is  perfectly  fallow.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Beaufort,  S.C.,  March  11,  1862 

WHAT  I  see  here  only  confirms  my  previous  impres 
sions  gathered  mainly  from  Olmsted  and  developed  in 
the  articles  I  wrote  for  the  Independent.  We  can  do 
nothing  for  these  people  until  the  cotton  monopoly 
is  broken  down  and  a  new  state  of  political  economy 
forces  the  cotton  producer  here  to  employ  a  new  and 
cheaper  machinery.  Edward  Pierce  arrived  here  on 
Sunday  in  command  of  forty  missionaries.  They  had 
better  have  kept  away;  things  are  not  ripe  for  them 
yet  and  they  are  trying  to  force  the  course  of  nature. 
Yet  the  problem  is  a  difficult  one.  We  have  now  some 
7000  masterless  slaves  within  our  line  and  in  less  than 
two  months  we  shall  have  nearer  70,000,  and  what  are 
we  to  do  with  them?  I  have  not  thought  sufficiently 
to  express  an  opinion.  My  present  impression  is  in 
favor  of  a  semi-military  system  for  the  present.  Dis- 


118  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS    [MARCH  n, 

trict  the  territory,  oblige  the  young  to  go  to  school, 
punish  rigidly  all  thieving  and  violence,  and  then  teach 
them  all  the  first  great  lesson,  that  they  must  work  to 
live;  establish  low  wages  and  let  the  blacks  support 
themselves  or  starve.  If  they  choose  to  live  in  their 
own  huts  and  cultivate  their  own  land  and  so  support 
themselves  I  see  no  objection,  if  the  young  went  to 
school;  but  the  first  lesson  must  be  work  or  starve. 
These  blacks  will  not  starve.  They  are  just  such  as  the 
white  has  made  them  and  as  we  have  heard  them  de 
scribed.  They  are  intelligent  enough,  but  their  intelli 
gence  too  often  takes  the  form  of  low  cunning.  They 
lie  and  steal  and  are  fearfully  lazy;  but  they  will  work 
for  money  and  indeed  are  anxious  to  get  work.  They 
are  dreadful  hypocrites  and  tomorrow  would  say  to 
their  masters,  as  a  rule,  what  today  they  say  to  us. 
As  a  whole  my  conclusion  is  that  the  race  might  be 
devoted,  if  man  were  what  he  should  be;  but  he  being 
what  he  is,  it  will  be  destroyed  the  moment  the  world 
realises  what  a  field  for  white  emigration  the  South 
affords.  The  inferior  will  disappear  —  how  no  man  can 
tell  —  before  the  more  vigorous  race.  The  world  has 
seen  this  happen  before  many  times  and  this,  though 
the  newest,  will  not  be  the  last  instance.  This  war, 
I  think,  begins  the  new  era  from  which,  while  freedom 
has  much,  the  African  has  little  to  hope.  .  .  . 

Some  things  in  your  letters  filled  me  with  astonish 
ment  and  laughter.  First  and  foremost  among  them 
was  the  idea  of  your  new  intimacy  with  Thurlow 
Weed  —  Thurlow  of  the  unopened  letter,  Thurlow  the 
unforgiving  and  corrupt,  coming  at  this  very  time 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  119 

when  the  star  of  the  injured  Sumner  —  Siimner  the 
philanthropist,  the  persecuted  and  the  beaten  —  was 
no  longer  in  the  ascendant.  Verily  politics  does  give 
and  take  strange  bed-fellows,  and  to  find  you  working 
heart  and  hand  with  Weed,  advising  with  him,  confid 
ing  in  him  and  believing  in  him,  is  something  I  did  not 
dream  to  see.  I  am  glad  of  it.  The  devil  is  not  indeed 
so  black  as  he  is  painted,  and  in  this  I  think  I  see  the 
last  link  needed  in  a  political  alliance  —  a  Puritan  and 
New  York  political  confederacy  —  destined  to  be  po 
tent  for  good  in  the  affairs  of  this  Continent.  Surely 
never  did  we  need  that  all  motives  and  all  faculties 
should  work  together  as  we  do  now,  and  I  hope  lead 
and  pestilence  will  spare  me  to  do  what  I  may  as  a 
member  of  the  new  league.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  March  15,  1862 

TIMES  have  so  decidedly  changed  since  my  last  letter 
to  you,  which  was,  as  I  conceive,  about  three  weeks  or 
a  month  ago,  that  I  hardly  know  what  to  write  about. 
My  main  doubt  is  about  your  prospects.  I  see  no  rea 
son  why  Davis  and  his  whole  army  should  n't  be  shut 
up  and  forced  to  capitulate  in  Virginia.  If  so,  you  will 
be  spared  a  summer  campaign.  But  if  he  is  allowed  to 
escape,  I  shall  be  disgusted,  and  God  only  knows  what 
work  may  be  before  you. 

Meanwhile  it  worries  me  all  the  time  to  be  leading 
this  thoroughly  useless  life  abroad  while  you  are  acting 
such  grand  parts  at  home.  You  would  be  astonished 
at  the  change  of  opinion  which  has  taken  place  here 


120  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS    [MAHCH  15, 

already.  Even  the  Times  only  this  morning  says: 
"The  very  idea  of  such  a  war  is  American,  multitudi 
nous,  vast,  and  as  much  an  appeal  to  the  imagination 
as  the  actual  brunt  of  arms."  And  again  in  speaking 
of  the  tone  of  the  Southern  papers  it  says  in  a  striking 
way:  "Some  of  their  expressions  recall  those  in  which 
the  Roman  historians  of  the  later  Empire  spoke  of 
the  Northern  tribes."  The  truth  is,  as  our  swarm  of 
armies  strike  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  South,  the 
contest  is  beginning  to  take  to  Europeans  proportions 
of  grandeur  and  perfection  like  nothing  of  which  they 
ever  heard  or  read.  They  call  us  insane  to  attempt 
what,  when  achieved,  they  are  almost  afraid  to  appre 
ciate.  A  few  brilliant  victories,  a  short  campaign  of 
ten  days  or  a  fortnight,  rivalling  in  its  vigor  and  results, 
those  of  Napoleon,  has  positively  startled  this  country 
into  utter  confusion.  It  reminds  me  of  my  old  host  in 
Dresden,  who,  when  he  heard  of  the  battle  of  Ma 
genta,  rushed  into  my  room,  newspaper  in  hand,  and 
began  measuring  on  the  map  the  distance  from  the 
Ticino  to  Vienna.  The  English  on  hearing  of  Fort 
Donnelson  and  the  fall  of  Nashville,  seem  to  think  our 
dozen  armies  are  already  over  the  St.  Lawrence  and  at 
the  gates  of  Quebec.  They  don't  conceal  their  appre 
hensions  and  if  we  go  on  in  this  way,  they  will  be  as 
humiliated  as  the  South  itself.  The  talk  of  interven 
tion,  only  two  months  ago  so  loud  as  to  take  a  semi 
official  tone,  is  now  out  of  the  minds  of  everyone.  I 
heard  Gregory  make  his  long-expected  speech  in  the 
House  of  Commons,  and  it  was  listened  to  as  you 
would  listen  to  a  funeral  eulogy.  His  attacks  on  us,  on 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  121 

Seward  and  on  our  blockade  were  cheered  with  just 
enough  energy  to  show  the  animus  that  existed  in  a 
large  proportion  of  the  members,  but  his  motion,  a  sim 
ple  and  harmless  request  for  papers,  was  tossed  aside 
without  a  division.  I  saw  our  friend  Mason  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  House  to  where  I  was  sitting  with 
Thurlow  Weed.  He  is  unlucky.  One  of  the  Bishops 
who  happened  to  have  come  in  and  was  seated  near 
the  door,  heard  a  "Hear!  hear!"  behind  him,  and  look 
ing  round  saw  Mason.  For  a  stranger  to  cheer  is  a 
breach  of  privilege,  and  the  story  went  all  over  town 
creating  quite  a  row.  Mr.  Mason  now  denies  it,  I  am 
told,  and  says  it  was  some  one  else  who  cheered.  He 
maintains  now  that  the  South  always  expected  to  lose 
the  border  States  and  that  now  that  they  are  retiring 
to  the  cotton  region  the  war  has  just  begun.  He  coolly 
talks  this  stuff  to  the  English  people  as  if  they  had 
n't  always  asserted  that  the  border  States  were  a  vital 
point  with  them.  We  on  the  other  hand,  no  longer 
descend  to  argue  such  stories,  or  to  answer  the  new 
class  of  lies;  but  smile  blandly  and  compassionately 
on  those  who  swallow  them  and  remark  that  so  far  as 
advised,  the  nation  whom  we  have  the  honor  to  rep 
resent  is  satisfied  with  the  progress  thus  far  made, 
and  sees  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the  Union  will  be 
maintained  in  its  fullest  and  most  comprehensive 
meaning. 

The  blockade  is  now  universally  acknowledged  to  be 
unobjectionable.  Recognition,  intervention,  is  an  old 
song.  No  one  whispers  it.  But  the  navy  that  captured 
Port  Royal,  Roanoke  and  Fort  Henry,  and  that  is 


122          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS    [MARCH  21, 

flying  about  with  its  big  guns  up  all  the  rivers  and 
creeks  of  the  South,  is  talked  of  with  respect.  And  the 
legion  of  armies  that  are  winning  victory  after  victory 
on  every  side,  until  we  have  begun  to  complain  if  a 
steamer  arrives  without  announcing  the  defeat  of  some 
enemy,  or  the  occupation  of  some  city,  or  the  capture 
of  some  stronghold,  are  a  cause  of  study  to  the  English 
such  as  they  Ve  not  had  since  Napoleon  entered  Milan 
some  seventy  years  ago.  I  feel  like  a  King  now.  I 
assert  my  nationality  with  a  quiet  pugnacity  that 
tells.  No  one  treads  on  our  coattails  any  longer,  and 
I  do  not  expect  ever  to  see  again  the  old  days  of 
anxiety  and  humiliation.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  March  21,  1862 

NOWHERE  has  the  condition  of  the  western  campaign 
been  productive  of  better  effects  than  in  this  country. 
The  change  produced  in  the  tone  towards  the  United 
States  is  very  striking.  There  will  be  no  overt  acts 
tending  to  recognition  whilst  there  is  a  doubt  of  the 
issue.  It  is  nevertheless  equally  true  that  whatever 
ability  remains  to  continue  the  contest  is  materially 
aided  by  the  supplies  constantly  and  industriously 
furnished  from  here.  Every  effort  to  run  the  blockade 
is  made  under  British  protection.  Every  manifesta 
tion  of  sympathy  with  the  rebel  success  springs  from 
British  sources.  This  feeling  is  not  the  popular  feeling, 
but  it  is  that  of  the  governing  classes.  With  many 
honorable  exceptions  the  aristocracy  entertain  it  as 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  123 

well  as  the  commercial  Interest.  So  did  they  in  1774. 
So  did  they  in  1812.  So  will  they  ever,  when  their 
narrow  views  of  British  interests  predominate.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  April  4,  1862 

THE  late  military  successes  have  given  us  a  season  of 
repose.  People  are  changing  their  notions  of  the  power 
of  the  country  to  meet  such  a  trial,  which  is  attended 
with  quite  favorable  consequences  to  us  in  our  posi 
tion.  Our  diplomacy  is  almost  in  a  state  of  profound 
calm.  Even  the  favorite  idea  of  a  division  into  two 
states  is  less  put  forward  than  it  was.  Yet  the  interest 
with  which  the  struggle  is  witnessed  grows  deeper  and 
deeper.  The  battle  between  the  Merrimack  and  our 
vessels  has  been  the  main  talk  of  the  town  ever  since 
the  news  came,  in  Parliament,  in  the  clubs,  in  the  city, 
among  the  military  and  naval  people.  The  impression 
is  that  it  dates  the  commencement  of  a  new  era  in  war 
fare,  and  that  Great  Britain  must  consent  to  begin 
over  again.  I  think  the  effect  is  to  diminish  the  confi 
dence  in  the  result  of  hostilities  with  us.  In  December 
we  were  told  that  we  should  be  swept  from  the  ocean 
in  a  moment,  and  all  our  ports  would  be  taken.  They 
do  not  talk  so  now.  So  far  as  this  may  have  an  effect 
to  secure  peace  on  both  sides  it  is  good.  .  .  . 

We  are  much  encouraged  now  by  the  series  of  suc 
cesses  gained,  and  far  more  by  the  marked  indications 
of  exhaustion  and  discouragement  in  the  south.  They 
must  be  suffering  in  every  way.  Never  did  people  pay 


124  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [APRIL  6, 

such  a  penalty  for  their  madness.  And  the  worst  is  yet 
to  come.  For  emancipation  is  on  its  way  with  slow  but 
certain  pace.  Well  for  them  if  it  do  not  take  them 
unaware. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Milne  Plantation,  Port  Royal  Island 
Monday,  April  6,  1862 

YOURS  of  the  14th  of  February  reminds  me  of  our  long 
interrupted  correspondence.  My  last  to  you,  if  I  re 
member  right,  was  from  on  shipboard  nearly  three 
months  ago,  and  was  of  a  savage  tenor.  This  is  from 
an  old  South  Carolina  plantation,  the  headquarters  of 
our  cavalry  pickets,  and  is  likely  to  be  of  an  eminently 
pacific  tone.  Here  I  am  surrounded  by  troopers,  mis 
sionaries,  contrabands,  cotton  fields  and  serpents,  in  a 
summer  climate,  riding  immensely  every  day,  dread 
fully  sick  of  the  monotony  of  my  present  existence, 
disgusted  with  all  things  military  and  fighting  off  ma 
laria  with  whiskey  and  tobacco.  So  far,  the  island  of 
Port  Royal  is  a  small  Paradise,  and  no  men  were  ever 
so  fortunate  in  the  inception  of  a  military  career,  bar 
ring  the  immense  labor  of  organizing  such  a  regiment 
as  this  and  our  peculiarly  rigid  discipline,  than  we  have 
been.  So  far  our  privations  have  been  next  to  nothing 
and  our  career  has  been  more  that  of  a  winter  picnic 
than  anything  else.  The  future  I  fear  has  less  agree 
able  things  in  store  for  us.  Still  sweets  cloy,  and  drilling 
in  a  South  Carolina  cotton  field  hour  after  hour  daily 
for  weeks  in  succession  is  one  of  those  sweets  which 
cloy  early.  Perpetual  roll-calls  too  become  tiresome,  and 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  125 

the  daily  superintendence  of  the  grooming  of  eighty- 
five  horses  is  not  a  pleasant  phase  of  existence.  I  make 
no  objection  however  to  my  duties,  though  I  do  to 
my  superiors.  But  all  in  the  fullness  of  time,  and  when 
you  next  see  me  you  probably  won't  know  me. 

Just  now  I  am  on  picket  and  also  specially  detailed 
by  General  Stevens  to  build  a  road,  which  I  had  the 
rashness  to  recommend  in  a  report  the  other  day.  So 
this  morning  I  diversified  my  cavalry  pursuits  by  driv 
ing  a  gang  of  niggers  on  my  new  road,  which  connects 
the  sea  board  plantations.  You  would  n't  have  known 
me.  I  had  ten  slaves  and  drove  by  example.  My 
horse  was  tied  to  a  tree  and  my  pistols  and  coat  lay 
near  him,  while  I,  in  heavy  boots  and  spurs  and  my 
shirt  sleeves,  handled  a  spade  by  the  side  of  my  sable 
brethren  in  the  midst  of  a  combination  of  rice-field 
and  cotton  swamp,  while  my  sergeant,  axe  in  hand, 
headed  another  gang  in  clearing  away  underbrush.  I 
am  happy  to  say  such  energy  was  not  unrewarded,  as 
I  succeeded  in  connecting  and  repairing  three  miles  of 
road  in  one  day  instead  of  two,  as  I  calculated.  I  am 
happy  to  say  the  Africs  worked  well  and  spared  me 
much  prepared  execration;  but  from  personal  experi 
ence  I  am  qualified  to  assert,  that  an  African  has  about 
as  much  idea  of  a  shovel  and  its  uses  as  a  wild  Irish 
man  might  have  of  a  quadrant  or  a  cotton-hoe.  My 
work  however  was  completed  at  two  o'clock  and  I  then 
indulged  in  a  delicious  sea  bath,  declared  myself  a  half 
holiday  and  determined  to  devote  it  to  you.  .  .  . 

Yrou  and  his  Excellency  always  ask  for  my  impres 
sions  of  things  here  and,  though  I  have  sent  them  to 


126  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [APRIL  * 

him  in  little,  I  will  enlarge  them  to  you  here  and  you 
may  do  with  them  as  you  see  fit,  only  don't  publish 
unless  my  views  are  likely  to  enliven  the  English. 

Here  I  am  on  the  Milne  Plantation  in  the  heart  of 
Port  Royal  Island.  Cotton  fields,  pine  barrens,  con 
trabands,  missionaries  and  soldiers  are  before  me  and 
all  around  me.  A  sick  missionary  is  in  the  next  room, 
a  dozen  soldiers  are  eating  their  suppers  in  the  yard 
under  my  window  and  some  twenty  negroes  of  every 
age,  lazy,  submissive  and  as  the  white  man  has  made 
them,  are  hanging  about  the  plantation  buildings  just 
as  though  they  were  not  the  teterrima  causa  of  this  con 
suming  bella.  The  island  is  now  just  passing  into  its 
last  stage  of  spring.  The  nights  are  cool,  but  the  days 
are  hot  enough  to  make  the  saddle  no  seat  of  comfort. 
The  island,  naturally  one  of  the  most  delightful  places 
in  the  world,  is  just  now  at  its  most  delightful  season. 
The  brown  unhappy  wastes  of  cotton  fields  unplanted 
this  year  and  with  the  ragged  remnants  of  last  years 
crop,  still  fluttering  in  the  wind,  do  not  add  to  its 
beauty,  but  nothing  can  destroy  the  charm  of  the  long 
plantation  avenues  with  the  heavy  grey  moss  droop 
ing  from  branches  fresh  with  young  leaves,  while  the 
natural  hedges  for  miles  along  are  fragrant  with  wild 
flowers.  As  I  canter  along  these  never  ending  avenues 
I  hear  sounds  and  see  sights  enough  to  set  the  orni 
thologist  and  sportsman  crazy.  The  mocking-bird  is 
never  silent,  and  the  varieties  of  plumage  are  to  the 
uninitiated  infinite,  while  hares  and  grey  squirrels  seem 
to  start  up  under  your  horse's  feet;  wild  pigeons  and 
quail  from  every  field,  and  duck  and  plover  from  every 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  127 

swamp.  Nor  are  less  inviting  forms  of  animal  life  want 
ing,  for  snakes  cross  your  path  more  frequently  than 
hares  and,  even  now,  the  soldiers  under  my  window 
are  amusing  themselves  with  a  large  turtle,  a  small 
alligator  and  a  serpent  of  curious  beauty  and  most 
indubitable  venom,  a  portion  of  the  results  of  their 
afternoon's  investigations. 

One  can  ride  indefinitely  over  this  island  and  never 
exhaust  its  infinite  cross-roads  and  out-of-the-way 
plantations,  but  you  cannot  ride  fifteen  minutes  in  any 
direction,  however  new,  without  stumbling  over  the 
two  great  facts  of  the  day,  pickets  and  contrabands. 
The  pickets  are  recruits  in  active  service  without 
models  —  excellent  material  for  soldiers  and  learning 
the  trade,  but  scarcely  soldiers  yet.  The  contrabands 
were  slaves  yesterday  and  may  be  again  tomorrow, 
and  what  slaves  are  any  man  may  know  without  him 
self  seeing  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  read  Olmsted's 
books.  No  man  seems  to  realize  that  here,  in  this  lit 
tle  island,  all  around  us,  has  begun  the  solution  of  this 
tremendous  "nigger"  question. 

The  war  here  seems  to  rest  and,  for  the  present,  Port 
Royal  is  thrown  into  the  shade,  and  yet  I  am  much 
mistaken  if  at  this  minute  Port  Royal  is  not  a  point 
of  greater  interest  than  either  Virginia  or  Kentucky. 
Here  the  contraband  question  has  arisen  in  such  pro 
portions  that  it  has  got  to  be  met  and  the  Govern 
ment  is  meeting  it  as  best  it  may.  Some  ten  thousand 
quondam  slaves  are  thrown  upon  the  hands  of  an  un 
fortunate  Government;  they  are  the  forerunners  of 
hundreds  of  thousands  more,  if  the  plans  of  the  Gov- 


128  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS   .  [APRIL  6, 

eminent  succeed,  and  so  the  Government  may  as  well 
now  decide  what  it  will  do  in  case  of  the  success  of  its 
war  plans.  While  Government  has  sent  agents  down 
here,  private  philanthropy  has  sent  missionaries,  and 
while  the  first  see  that  the  contrabands  earn  their 
bread,  the  last  teach  them  the  alphabet.  Between  the 
two  I  predict  divers  results,  among  which  are  numer 
ous  jobs  for  agents  and  missionaries,  small  comfort  to 
the  negroes  and  heavy  loss  to  the  Government.  Doubt 
less  the  world  must  have  cotton  and  must  pay  for  it, 
but  it  does  not  yet  know  what  it  is  to  pay  for  it  if  the 
future  hath  it  in  store  that  the  poor  world  shall  buy 
the  next  crop  of  Port  Royal  at  prices  remunerative  to 
Government.  The  scheme,  so  far  as  I  can  see  any, 
seems  to  be  for  the  Government,  recognizing  and  en 
couraging  private  philanthropy  and  leaving  to  it  the 
task  of  educating  the  slaves  to  the  standard  of  self- 
support,  to  hold  itself  a  sort  of  guardian  to  the  slave 
in  his  indefinite  state  of  transition,  exacting  from  him 
that  amount  of  labor  which  he  owes  to  the  community 
and  the  cotton  market.  The  plan  may  work  well;  if  it 
does,  it  will  be  the  first  of  the  kind  that  ever  has.  Cer 
tainly  I  do  not  envy  the  slaves  its  operation.  The  po 
sition  of  the  Government  is  certainly  a  most  difficult 
one.  Something  must  be  done  for  these  poor  people 
and  done  at  once.  They  are  indolent,  shiftless,  unable 
to  take  care  of  themselves  and  plundered  by  every 
comer  —  in  short,  they  are  slaves.  For  the  present 
they  must  be  provided  for.  It  is  easy  to  find  fault  with 
the  present  plan.  Can  any  one  suggest  a  better?  For 
me,  I  must  confess  that  I  cannot.  I  think  it  bad,  very 


1862.J          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  129 

bad,  and  that  it  must  end  in  failure,  but  I  can  see  no 
other  more  likely  to  succeed. 

That  this  is  the  solution  of  the  negro  question  I  take 
it  no  one  but  the  missionaries  and  agents  will  contend. 
That  is  yet  to  come,  and  here  as  elsewhere  we  are  look 
ing  for  it,  and  trying  to  influence  it.  My  own  impres 
sion  is  that  the  solution  is  coming  —  may  already  in 
some  degree  be  shadowed  out;  but  that  it  is  a  solution 
hurried  on  by  this  war,  based  on  simple  and  immuta 
ble  principles  of  economy  and  one  finally  over  which 
the  efforts  of  Government  and  individuals  can  exercise 
no  control. 

This  war  is  killing  slavery.  Not  by  any  legal  quibble 
of  contrabands  or  doubtful  theory  of  confiscation,  but 
by  stimulating  free  trade.  Let  any  man  ride  as  I  do 
over  this  island.  Let  him  look  at  the  cotton  fields  and 
the  laborers.  Let  him  handle  their  tools  and  examine 
their  implements,  and  if  he  comes  from  any  wheat- 
growing  country,  he  will  think  himself  amid  the  insti 
tutions  and  implements  of  the  middle  ages  —  and  so  he 
would  be.  The  whole  system  of  cotton  growing  —  all 
its  machinery  from  the  slave  to  the  hoe  in  his  hand  — 
is  awkward,  cumbrous,  expensive  and  behind  the  age. 
That  the  cultivation  of  cotton  is  so  behind  that  of  all 
the  other  great  staples  is  the  natural  result  of  mo 
nopoly,  but  it  is  none  the  less  disgraceful  to  the  world, 
and  to  give  it  an  impulse  seems  to  have  been  the  mis 
sion  of  this  war.  The  thorough  and  effectual  breaking 
up  of  its  so  much  prized  monopoly  will  be  the  great 
est  blessing  which  could  happen  to  the  South,  and  it 
seems  to  be  the  one  probable  result  of  this  war.  Com- 


130  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [APRIL  6, 

petition  involves  improvement  in  ruin,  and  herein  lies 
the  solution  of  this  slavery  question.  Northern  men 
with  Northern  ideas  of  economy,  agriculture  and  im 
provement,  are  swarming  down  onto  the  South.  They 
see  how  much  behind  the  times  the  country  is  and  they 
see  that  here  is  money  to  be  made.  If  fair  competition 
in  the  growth  of  cotton  be  once  established  a  new  sys 
tem  of  economy  and  agriculture  must  inevitably  be 
introduced  here  in  which  the  slave  and  his  hoe  will 
make  room  for  the  free  laborer  and  the  plough,  and  the 
change  will  not  be  one  of  election  but  a  sole  resource 
against  utter  ruin.  The  men  to  introduce  this  change 
or  any  other  are  here  and  are  daily  swarming  down  in 
the  armies  of  the  Government,  soon  to  become  armies 
of  occupation.  A  new  tide  of  emigration  has  set  in 
before  which  slavery  has  small  chance. 

But  how  is  it  for  the  African?  Slavery  may  perish 
and  no  one  regret  it,  but  what  is  to  become  of  the  un 
fortunate  African?  When  we  have  got  thus  far  we 
have  just  arrived  at  the  real  point  of  interest  in  the 
"nigger"  question.  The  slaves  of  whom  I  see  so  much 
here  may  be  taken  as  fair  specimens  of  their  race  as 
at  present  existing  in  this  country.  They  have  many 
good  qualities.  They  are  good  tempered,  patient,  doc 
ile,  willing  to  learn  and  easily  directed;  but  they  are 
slavish  and  all  that  the  word  slavish  implies.  They 
will  lie  and  cheat  and  steal;  they  are  hypocritical  and 
cunning;  they  are  not  brave,  and  they  are  not  fierce 
—  these  qualities  the  white  man  took  out  of  them  gen 
erations  ago,  and  in  taking  them  deprived  the  African 
of  the  capacity  for  freedom.  My  views  of  the  future 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  131 

of  those  I  see  about  me  here  are  not  therefore  encour 
aging.  That  they  will  be  free  and  free  soon  by  the 
operation  of  economic  laws  over  which  Government 
has  no  control,  I  thoroughly  believe;  but  their  freedom 
will  be  the  freedom  of  antiquated  and  unprofitable 
machines,  the  freedom  of  the  hoes  they  use  which  will 
be  swept  aside  to  make  way  for  better  implements. 
The  slave,  however,  cannot  be  swept  aside  and  herein 
lies  the  difficulty  and  the  problem.  My  impression 
from  what  I  see  is  that  Emancipation  as  a  Government 
measure  would  be  a  terrible  calamity  to  the  blacks  as  a 
race;  that  rapid  emancipation  as  the  result  of  an  eco 
nomic  revolution  destroying  their  value  as  agricultural 
machines  would  be  a  calamity,  though  less  severe;  and 
finally,  that  the  only  transition  to  freedom  absolutely 
beneficial  to  them  as  a  race  would  be  one  proportioned 
in  length  to  the  length  of  their  captivity,  such  a  one 
in  fact  as  destroyed  villeinage  in  the  wreck  of  the  feu 
dal  system.  Were  men  and  governments  what  they 
should  be  instead  of  what  they  are,  the  case  would  be 
different  and  all  would  combine  in  the  Christian  and 
tedious  effort  to  patiently  undo  the  wrongs  they  had 
done,  and  to  restore  to  the  African  his  attributes. 
Then  the  work  could  be  done  well  and  quickly;  but 
at  present,  seeing  what  men  are,  and  how  remorselessly 
they  throw  aside  what  has  ceased  to  be  useful,  I  can 
not  but  regard  as  a  doubtful  benefit  to  the  African 
anything  which  by  diminishing  his  value  increases  his 
chances  of  freedom. 

A  revolution  in  cotton  production  springing  from 
competition  may  work  differently  by  gradually  chang- 


132  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [APRIL  6, 

ing  the  status  of  the  African  from  one  of  forced  to  one 
of  free  labor,  but  I  do  not  regard  this  as  probable.  The 
census  already  shows  not  only  that  cotton  can  every 
where  be  cultivated  by  free  labor,  but  also  that  the 
best  cotton  now  is  so  cultivated,  and  the  most  probable 
result  of  a  permanent  reduction  in  the  price  of  cotton 
would  seem  to  me  to  be  a  sudden  influx  of  free  white 
emigration  into  the  cotton  fields  of  the  South.  Such  a 
result  would  produce  untold  advantages  to  the  South, 
to  America  and  to  the  white  race;  but  how  about  the 
blacks?  Will  they  be  educated  and  encouraged  and 
cared  for;  or  will  they  be  challenged  to  compete  in  the 
race,  or  go  to  the  wall,  and  finally  be  swept  away  as  a 
useless  rubbish?  Who  can  answer  those  queries?  I  for 
one  cannot;  but  one  thing  I  daily  see  and  that  is  that 
no  spirit  exists  among  the  contrabands  here  which 
would  enable  them  to  care  for  themselves  in  a  race  of 
vigorous  competition.  The  blacks  must  be  cared  for 
or  they  will  perish,  and  who  is  to  care  for  them  when 
they  cease  to  be  of  value?  I  do  not  pretend  to  solve 
these  questions  or  do  more  than  raise  them,  and  their 
solution  will  come,  I  suppose,  all  in  good  time  with  the 
emergency  which  raises  them.  But  no  man  who  dreams 
at  all  of  the  future  can  wander  over  Port  Royal  Island 
at  present  and  mark  the  character  and  condition  of  its 
inhabitants,  without  having  all  these  questions  and 
many  more  force  themselves  upon  his  mind.  I  am  a 
thorough  believer  in  this  war.  I  believe  it  to  have  been 
necessary  and  just.  I  believe  that  from  it  will  flow 
great  blessings  to  America  and  the  Caucasian  race.  I 
believe  the  area  of  freedom  will  by  it  be  immensely 


1862.]  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  133 

expanded  in  this  country,  and  that  from  it  true  prin 
ciples  of  trade  and  economy  will  receive  a  prodigious 
impetus  throughout  the  world;  but  for  the  African  I 
do  not  see  the  same  bright  future.  He  is  the  foot-ball 
of  passion  and  accident,  and  the  gift  of  freedom  may 
prove  his  destruction.  Still  the  experiment  should  and 
must  be  tried  and  the  sooner  it  is  tried  the  better.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  April  11,  1862 

MODEST  and  unassuming  as  I  am,  you  know,  society 
is  not  the  place  for  pleasure  to  me.  Even  at  the  Club 
I  talk  distantly  with  Counts  and  Barons  and  number 
less  untitled  but  high-placed  characters,  but  have  never 
arrived  at  intimacy  with  any  of  them.  I  am  a  little 
sorry  for  this  because  there  are  several  very  nice  fel 
lows  among  them,  and  all  are  polite  and  seem  suffi 
ciently  social.  Then,  too,  my  unfortunate  notoriety, 
which,  I  told  you  of,  in  a  letter  that  I  trust  and  pray 
may  not  be  lost,  some  three  months  ago,  tells  against 
me,  though  it  certainly  has  brought  me  into  notice. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  if  I  were  to  stay  here  another  year, 
I  should  become  extremely  fond  of  the  place  and  the 
life.  There  is,  too,  a  certain  grim  satisfaction  in  the 
idea  that  this  people  who  have  worn  and  irritated  and 
exasperated  us  for  months,  and  among  whom  we  have 
lived  nearly  a  year  of  what  was,  till  lately,  a  slow  tor 
ture,  should  now  be  innocently  dancing  and  smiling 
on  the  volcano,  utterly  unconscious  of  the  extent  of 
hatred  and  the  greediness  for  revenge  that  they've 


134  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [APRIL  11, 

raised.  When  the  storm  does  finally  burst  on  them, 
they  will  have  one  of  their  panics  and  be  as  astonished 
as  if  they  'd  never  heard  of  anything  but  brotherly  love 
and  affection  between  the  two  nations.  Of  course  it 
would  be  out  of  the  question  for  me  to  hint  at  the  state 
of  things  to  them.  I  have  only  to  smile  and  tell  gross 
lies,  for  which  God  forgive  me,  about  my  feelings  to 
wards  this  country,  and  the  kindness  I  have  received 
here,  which,  between  ourselves,  so  far  as  the  pure  Eng 
lish  go,  has  been  brilliantly  conspicuous  for  its  almost 
total  absence.  Only  a  fortnight  ago  they  discovered 
that  their  whole  wooden  navy  was  useless;  rather  a 
weakness  than  a  strength.  Yesterday  it  was  formally 
announced  and  acknowledged  by  Government,  people 
and  press,  that  the  Warrior  and  their  other  new  iron 
ships,  are  no  better  than  wood,  nor  can  any  shot- 
proof  sea-going  vessel  be  made.  In  order  to  prove  this, 
they  Ve  proved  their  Armstrong  guns  a  failure,  for  he 
has  given  up  the  breech-loading  system  and  been  com 
pelled  to  return  to  the  old  smooth-bore,  muzzle-loader. 
So  within  three  weeks,  they  find  their  wooden  navy, 
their  iron  navy,  and  their  costly  guns,  all  utterly 
antiquated  and  useless. 

To  me,  they  seem  to  be  bewildered  by  all  this.  I 
don't  think  as  yet  they  have  dared  to  look  their  posi 
tion  in  the  face.  People  begin  to  talk  vaguely  about  the 
end  of  war  and  eternal  peace,  just  as  though  human 
nature  was  changed  by  the  fact  that  Great  Britain's 
sea-power  is  knocked  in  the  head.  But  for  my  private 
part,  I  think  I  see  a  thing  or  two.  And  one  of  these 
things  is  that  the  military  power  of  France  is  nearly 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  135 

doubled  by  having  the  seas  free;  and  that  our  good 
country  the  United  States  is  left  to  a  career  that  is 
positively  unlimited  except  by  the  powers  of  the  imag 
ination.  And  for  England  there  is  still  greatness  and 
safety,  if  she  will  draw  her  colonies  around  her,  and 
turn  her  hegemony  into  a  Confederation  of  British 
nations. 

You  may  think  all  this  nonsense,  but  I  tell  you  these 
are  great  times.  Man  has  mounted  science,  and  is  now 
run  away  with.  I  firmly  believe  that  before  many  cen 
turies  more,  science  will  be  the  master  of  man.  The 
engines  he  will  have  invented  will  be  beyond  his  strength 
to  control.  Some  day  science  may  have  the  existence  of 
mankind  in  its  power,  and  the  human  race  commit 
suicide  by  blowing  up  the  world.  Not  only  shall  we  be 
able  to  cruize  in  space,  but  I  see  no  reason  why  some 
future  generation  should  n't  walk  off  like  a  beetle  with 
the  world  on  its  back,  or  give  it  another  rotary  mo 
tion  so  that  every  zone  should  receive  in  turn  its  due 
portion  of  heat  and  light.  .  .  . 

We  are  putting  on  the  diplomatic  screws.  A  few 
more  victories  and  it  will  be  all  straight.  We  under 
stand  that  the  Nashville  has  been  taken  or  destroyed, 
and  it  is  today  telegraphed  privately  to  us  that  the 
crew  of  the  Sumter  are  to  be  paid  off,  and  her  captain 
is  coming  to  London.  Bankrupt.  The  long  purse,  the 
big  guns,  and  the  men  carry  the  day.  .  .  . 

The  Chief  saw  and  conversed  writh  a  number  of  French 
celebrities.  They  are  surprisingly  well-disposed  towards 
us  now  that  w^e  are  looking  up  in  the  world.  Here  in 
London  we  are  as  comfortable  as  possible.  The  news- 


136  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [APRIL  n, 

papers  are  dumb  except  for  an  occasional  sneer,  or  as 
sertion,  which  is  invariably  acknowledged  to  be  false 
the  next  day.  I  tell  you  it's  not  a  bad  thing  to  have 
seven  hundred  thousand  fighting  men  behind  one,  to 
back  one's  words  up.  I  am  more  and  more  convinced 
every  day  that  we  are  very  much  feared.  Indeed  you 
can  imagine  what  the  change  must  be  when  we  all  here 
know  on  the  very  highest  authority  that  in  May  last 
it  was  supposed  that  the  revolution  was  complete,  and 
the  recognition  was  a  matter  of  course.  Men  who  have 
made  such  a  political  blunder  as  that  are  apt  to  open 
their  eyes  wide  when  they  find  it  out. 

As  for  home  affairs  and  your  position,  we  are  so 
ignorant  that  I  shall  not  discourse  on  the  subject.  Of 
course  we  know  all  that  the  newspapers  tell  us  and  are 
waiting  with  a  sort  of  feeling  that  is  now  chronic  for  the 
flash  and  the  thunder  that  is  soon  to  come  from  the 
cloud  over  Richmond  and  New  Orleans.  I  despise  a 
mail  that  does  not  tell  of  a  victory,  and  indeed  for  some 
time  past  we  have  been  pampered.  But  every  time 
that  the  telegram  comes  and  its  yellow  envelope  is 
torn  open,  I  feel  much  like  taking  a  little  brandy  to 
strengthen  me  up  to  it.  There  is  a  nervous  tremor  about 
it  that  is  hard  to  master.  The  24th  did  well  at  New- 
bern.  I  wish  to  God  I  had  been  with  it,  or  were  with 
the  Richmond  army  now.  I  feel  ashamed  and  humili 
ated  at  leading  this  miserable  life  here,  and  since  hav 
ing  been  blown  up  by  my  own  petard  in  my  first 
effort  to  do  good,  I  have  n't  even  the  hope  of  being  of 
more  use  here  than  I  should  be  in  the  army.  But  I 
can't  get  away  till  you  come  over.  .  .  . 


1862.1          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  137 


CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  April  17,  1862 


THE  successes,  which  I  was  so  earnestly  praying  for  in 
my  letter  to  you,  have  come  and  have  had  all  the  effect 
I  anticipated.  There  is  just  now  nobody  who  pro 
fesses  to  think  well  of  the  South.  Neither  will  there  be 
any  more  until  the  war  varies.  Of  course,  our  position 
here  becomes  comparatively  easy  and  comfortable. 
The  quantity  of  official  work  has  sensibly  declined, 
and  I  can  look  round  to  interest  myself  in  the  scenes 
that  are  more  immediately  before  me. 

But  just  as  the  public  work  diminishes,  as  men  cease 
to  offer  themselves  as  soldiers,  or  to  propose  all  sorts 
of  contracts  for  ships,  cannon,  rifles,  and  every  im 
aginable  death  dealing  invention,  my  correspondence 
has  taken  a  wholly  new  direction.  Good  Mr.  Pea- 
body,  having  made  more  money  than  he  can  hold, 
takes  it  into  his  head  to  give  to  the  poor  of  the  city  of 
London  an  endowment  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
pounds.  To  carry  out  his  idea  he  conveys  the  sum  to 
five  gentlemen,  the  minister  of  the  United  States  be 
ing  ex  officio  one  of  them.  No  sooner  did  my  name 
appear  in  the  papers  than  all  the  poor  women  of  the 
city  begin  to  pelt  me  with  applications  for  aid,  and  all 
the  useful  societies  present  their  claims  for  considera 
tion.  The  consequence  is  that  I  bid  fair  to  become  the 
most  widely  known  American  envoy  that  ever  came 
here,  and  furthermore  that  all  the  army  of  beggars  in 
this  great  Babylon  feel  as  if  they  had  a  special  right 


138  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS        [MAY  8. 

to  importune  me.  Such  is  fame!  In  the  meantime  the 
great  question  how  the  most  beneficially  to  apply  this 
enormous  sum  is  about  to  be  imposed  upon  us,  and  I 
am  to  bear  one-fifth  of  the  responsibility  of  a  decision. 
Whichever  way  it  is  made  the  cry  of  the  disappointed 
majority  which  expect  a  dividend  of  a  sovereign  apiece 
will  be  loud  and  long.  I  know  not  that  I  should  take 
this  view  so  coolly,  if  I  did  not  feel  that  it  cannot  be 
long  before  I  bid  my  friends  here  farewell,  and  devolve 
all  cares  as  well  as  honors  upon  a  successor.  That  suc 
cessor  will  devolve  all  the  odium  of  the  action  taken 
upon  his  predecessor,  so  that  both  will  be  safe;  and 
again  I  shall  exclaim,  such  is  fame !  .  .  . l 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  May  8,  1862 

ONE  always  begins  to  doubt  at  the  wrong  time  and 
to  hesitate  when  one  should  strike  hardest.  Know 
ing  this  my  infirmity,  I  have  made  it  my  habit  here 
abroad  to  frown  it  down  with  energy  and  to  persuade 
myself,  when  seeing  most  cause  for  anxiety,  that  the 
moment  of  suspense  was  nearest  to  its  end.  It  needs 
to  be  here,  among  a  people  who  read  everything  back 
wards  that  regards  us,  and  surround  us  with  a  chaos 
of  croaking  worse  than  their  own  rookeries,  to  under 
stand  how  hard  it  is  always  to  retain  one's  confidence 
and  faith.  The  late  indecisive  military  events  in  Amer 
ica  are  looked  upon  here  as  the  sign  of  ultimate  South 
ern  success.  I  preach  a  very  different  doctrine  and 

1  Removed  in  April  from  5  Mansfield  Street  to  5  Upper  Portland 
Place,  the  house  of  Russell  Sturgis. 


fc     pa 
O    £J 

II 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  139 

firmly  believe  that  the  war  in  its  old  phase  is  near  its 
end.  I  do  not  see  how  anything  but  great  awkwardness 
on  our  part  can  prevent  the  main  southern  army  from 
being  dispersed  or  captured  in  Virginia.  But  there  is 
no  doubt  that  the  idea  here  is  as  strong  as  ever  that 
we  must  ultimately  fail,  and  unless  a  very  few  weeks 
show  some  great  military  result,  we  shall  have  our 
hands  full  again  in  this  quarter.  There  is  no  fear  of 
armed  intervention,  or  even,  I  think,  of  immediate 
recognition ;  but  a  moral  intervention  is  not  impossible, 
or  rather,  it  is  inevitable  without  our  triumph  before 
July.  By  moral  intervention  I  mean  some  combined 
representation  on  the  part  of  the  European  powers,  in 
friendly  language,  urging  our  two  parties  to  come  to  an 
understanding.  If  this  catches  us  still  in  Virginia,  it 
will  play  mischief.  The  worst  of  it  is  that  the  Govern 
ments  here  are  forced  to  it.  The  suffering  among  the 
people  in  Lancashire  and  in  France  is  already  very 
great  and  is  increasing  enormously  every  day  without 
any  prospect  of  relief  for  months  to  come.  This  drives 
them  into  action,  and  has  at  least  the  one  good  side 
that  if  we  do  gain  decisive  advantages  so  as  to  make 
the  Southern  chances  indefinitely  small,  we  shall  have 
Europe  at  our  control  and  can  dictate  terms. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  it  is  right  to  suppose  that  we 
shall  soon  end  the  war,  I  am  afraid  we  have  got  to  face 
a  political  struggle  that  will  be  the  very  deuce  and  all. 
The  emancipation  question  has  got  to  be  settled  some 
how,  and  our  accounts  say  that  at  Washington  the 
contest  is  getting  very  bitter.  The  men  who  lead  the 
extreme  Abolitionists  are  a  rancorous  set.  They  have 


140  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [MAY  8, 

done  their  worst  this  winter  to  over-ride  the  Admin 
istration  rough-shod,  and  it  has  needed  all  Seward's 
skill  to  head  them  off.  If  we  are  completely  victorious 
in  the  field,  we  shall  see  the  slave-question  come  up 
again  worse  than  ever,  and  Sumner  and  Chandler 
and  Trumbull  and  the  rest  are  just  the  men  to  force  a 
new  explosion.  Gradual  measures  don't  suit  them,  and 
yet  without  their  support  it  will  be  hard  to  carry  grad 
ual  measures.  I  have  immense  confidence  in  Seward 
however,  and  there  is  said  to  be  the  most  perfect  con 
fidence  between  him  and  the  President,  so  that  we  shall 
go  into  the  struggle  with  a  good  chance  of  carrying  it 
through. 

As  for  this  country,  the  simple  fact  is  that  it  is  unan 
imously  against  us  and  becomes  more  firmly  set  every 
day.  From  hesitation  and  neutrality,  people  here  are 
now  fairly  decided.  It  is  acknowledged  that  our  army 
is  magnificent  and  that  we  have  been  successful  and 
may  be  still  more  so,  but  the  feeling  is  universal  against 
us.  If  we  succeed,  it  will  still  be  the  same.  It  is  a  sort 
of  dogged,  English  prejudice,  and  there  is  no  dealing 
with  it. 

Socially,  however,  we  do  not  feel  it  to  any  unpleas 
ant  degree.  People  are  very  polite,  and  we  seem  to  be 
in  a  good  set  and  likely  to  get  on  well.  The  season  has 
begun  and  we  have  engagements  in  plenty.  I  hope,  with 
time,  to  get  well  into  society,  though  just  now  I  am 
hovering  on  the  outskirts  of  it.  My  greatest  achieve 
ment  in  this  career  came  off  the  other  night  when  we 
were  invited  to  the  old  Dowager  Duchess  of  Somer 
set's,  who  is  decidedly  original,  and  to  my  unutterable 


1862.]  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  141 

horror,  I  found  myself  performing  for  the  first  time  in 
my  life,  a  double-shuffle  in  the  shape  of  a  Scotch  reel, 
with  the  daughter  of  an  unbelieving  Turk  for  a  partner. 
For  twenty  minutes  I  improvised  a  dance  that  would 
have  done  honor  to  Taglioni.  When  I  got  through,  in  a 
state  of  helpless  exhaustion  and  agony  of  mind,  I  was 
complimented  by  the  company  on  my  success. 

Last  night  who  should  I  meet  at  a  little  reception, 
but  our  friend  Russell,  the  Special  Correspondent  of 
the  London  Times.  Some  one  offered  to  introduce 
me  to  him  and  I  consented  with  pleasure.  He  was  a 
little  embarrassed,  I  thought,  but  very  good  natured.  I 
said  I  was  sorry  he  had  returned,  whereat  he  laughed 
and  remarked  that  personally  he  was  glad,  but  he  re 
gretted  having  lost  the  chance  of  showing  his  good 
will  to  us  by  describing  our  successes.  I  only  was  with 
him  a  moment,  and  he  closed  the  conversation  by  say 
ing  that  if  I  thought  it  would  be  agreeable  to  my  father, 
he  would  like  to  call  upon  him.  I  assented  to  this  the 
more  willingly  because  I  am  told  that  Russell  declares 
on  all  sides  that  he  is  wholly  a  Northerner  and  always 
has  been,  and  that  between  his  private  opinions  and 
his  opinions  as  suited  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Times, 
there  is  a  decided  difference. 

I  think  it  is  about  time  for  us  now  to  begin  to  expect 
another  breeze  here  in  London  and  the  usual  panic 
and  expectation  of  departure.  If  you  were  at  home  I 
should  write  particulars,  but  as  I've  never  yet  had  one 
of  my  letters  to  you  acknowledged  or  answered  since 
you  Ve  been  at  Port  Royal,  and  as  I  Ve  written  pretty 
regularly  every  fortnight,  there's  no  great  encourage- 


142  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [MAY  8, 

ment  to  trust  secrets  to  paper.  So  much,  however,  is 
pretty  well  known.  Since  we  made  our  great  step  from 
Kentucky  into  Alabama,  our  Government  has  been 
pressing  the  European  Governments  energetically  to 
withdraw  themselves  from  their  belligerent  position. 
But  anyone  who  knows  English  sentiment  and  politics 
now,  knows  that  there  is  not  the  remotest  chance  of 
any  such  step.  The  sympathy  of  the  Administration, 
of  the  Lords,  of  the  Commons  and  of  the  people 
throughout  the  country  may  be  dormant  perhaps; 
I  hope  it  is,  though  I  believe  it's  not;  but  beyond  a 
doubt  it  is  not  with  our  Union.  I  have  no  fear  that 
there  will  be  any  hostile  acts  on  the  part  of  this  coun 
try,  but  before  Parliament  closes,  which  may  be  in 
June,  you  may  be  sure  that  the  Ministry  will  do  nothing 
that  is  likely  to  provoke  attack;  least  of  all  anything 
so  unpopular  as  the  throwing  over  of  the  South  would 
be.  Meanwhile  the  contest  between  the  two  gentlemen 
here  is  getting  to  be  flavored  with  as  copious  dashes  of 
vinegar  as  you  would  wish  to  see.  About  once  a  week 
the  wary  Chieftain  sharpens  a  stick  down  to  a  very 
sharp  point,  and  then  digs  it  into  the  excellent  Rus 
sell's  ribs.  The  first  two  or  three  times  the  joke  was 
borne  with  well-bred  politeness  and  calm  indifference; 
but  the  truth  is,  the  stick's  becoming  so  sharp  that 
now  things  are  being  thrown  round  with  considerable 
energy,  and  our  friend  Russell  is  not  in  entirely  a  good 
temper.  The  prospect  at  this  moment  is  that  the  breeze 
will  soon  change  into  settled  rough  weather  and  per 
haps  we  shall  have  a  regular  storm.  For  if  we  conquer 
in  Virginia,  I  hope  and  trust  that  Seward  will  give  this 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  143 

Government  the  option  of  eating  their  words,  or  being 
kicked.  And  I  don't  know  whether  I  should  derive  a 
keener  satisfaction  from  seeing  them  forced  to  over 
throw  their  whole  political  fabric  as  regards  the  South, 
at  our  demand,  or  from  seeing  our  Minister  here  take 
his  leave  of  the  country  until  they  are  able  at  last 
to  bring  their  stomachs  down  to  that  point  without 
further  prompting.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  May  16,  1862 

PEOPLE  here  were  quite  struck  aback  at  Sunday's 
news  of  the  capture  of  New  Orleans.  It  took  them 
three  days  to  make  up  their  minds  to  believe  it.  The 
division  of  the  United  States  had  become  an  idea  so 
fixed  in  their  heads  that  they  had  shut  out  all  the 
avenues  to  the  reception  of  any  other.  As  a  conse 
quence  they  are  now  all  adrift.  The  American  prob 
lem  completely  baffles  their  comprehension.  The  only 
wish  I  have  is  that  they  would  let  it  alone.  But  strange 
to  say,  that  is  the  very  last  thing  to  which  they  are 
inclined.  Some  future  historian  of  ours  may  have  an 
amusing  task  in  extracting  from  the  Times  of  the  last 
year  its  daily  varying  prognostications  on  this  sub 
ject.  A  friend  of  ours,  Sir  Charles  Lyell,  was  sitting 
with  your  mother  on  Sunday  when  I  came  in,  and  re 
marking  how  frequently  he  had  found  the  American 
news  of  the  next  day  flatly  contradicting  the  Times's 
affirmations  at  a  given  moment.  "Now,"  said  he, 
"last  week  they  proved  conclusively  that  the  United 


144  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [MAY  16, 

States  could  not  control  the  Mississippi  and  seize  New 
Orleans.  I  should  not  wonder  if  tomorrow's  steamer 
were  to  show  the  contrary."  And  thereupon  I  showed 
him  a  telegram  just  received  from  Mr.  Seward,  by  the 
steamer  Canada,  announcing  the  capture  of  that  city. 
"There  now,"  said  he,  "is  it  not  just  as  I  said?  "  Even 
the  Americans  here  get  soon  impregnated  with  the 
spirit  of  doubt.  It  was  not  without  difficulty  that  I 
could  get  some  of  them  to  credit  that  the  Government 
of  the  United  States  was  transmitting  trustworthy 
information. 

The  Exhibition  does  not  as  yet  draw  such  great 
crowds  as  were  expected.  Things  are  a  little  out  of 
joint.  The  Queen  secludes  herself  and  does  not  get 
over  her  grief.  The  Prince  of  Wales  is  sent  on  his  trav 
els  to  get  him  out  of  the  way.  The  ministry  have  no 
power  in  Parliament,  and  yet  the  opposition  are  afraid 
to  take  their  places.  Napoleon  does  not  know  what  to 
do  with  the  Pope.  The  King  of  Prussia  does  not  know 
what  to  do  with  his  subjects.  Everything  seems  a  little 
mal  a  propos  and  yet  goes  on  somehow.  Cotton  goes, 
but  does  not  come.  The  operatives  are  getting  poorer 
and  poorer,  and  yet  there  is  so  much  capital  in  the  city 
that  interest  is  at  two  and  one-half  per  cent.  The 
country  really  seems  to  be  rolling  in  wealth,  and  yet 
there  are  miserable  beggars  in  rags  assailing  you  at 
every  corner.  Such  is  a  summary  of  European  life  so 
far  as  London  is  concerned.  , 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  145 

HENEY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

Jjondon,  May  16,  1862 
•          ••••••••• 

BEFORE  this  reaches  you  I  suppose  you  will  be  in  mo 
tion,  and  I  hope  that  the  war  will  be  at  an  end.  It 
would  be  a  mere  piece  of  unjustifiable  wantonness  for 
the  Southern  generals  to  defend  Charleston,  if  they 
are  defeated  in  Virginia.  So,  although  I  would  like  to 
see  you  covered  with  glory,  I  would  be  extremely  well 
satisfied  to  hear  that  you  had  ended  the  campaign  and 
ridden  into  Charleston  without  firing  a  shot  or  draw 
ing  a  sabre. 

Last  Sunday  afternoon,  the  day  after  my  letter  to 
you  had  gone,  telling  how  hard  it  was  to  sustain  one's 
own  convictions  against  the  scepticism  of  a  nation,  I 
returned  from  taking  a  walk  on  Rotten  Row  with  my 
very  estimable  friend  Baron  Brinken,  and  on  reach 
ing  home,  I  was  considerably  astounded  at  perceiving 
the  Chief  in  an  excited  manner  dance  across  the  entry 
and  ejaculate,  "  We  Ve  got  New  Orleans."  Philosopher 
as  I  am  and  constant  in  a  just  and  tenacious  virtue, 
I  confess  that  even  I  was  considerably  interested  for 
the  moment.  So  leaving  Sir  Charles  Lyell  regarding 
my  abrupt  departure  through  one  eye-glass  with  some 
apparent  astonishment,  I  took  a  cab  and  drove  down 
to  Mr.  Weed.  Meeting  him  in  the  street  near  his  ho 
tel,  I  leaped  out  of  the  cab,  and  each  of  us  simultane 
ously  drew  out  a  telegram  which  we  exchanged.  His 
was  Mr.  Peabody's  private  business  telegram;  mine 
was  an  official  one  from  Seward.  We  then  proceeded 


146  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [MAY  is, 

together  to  the  telegraph  office  and  sent  a  despatch  to 
Mr.  Dayton  at  Paris,  and  finally  I  went  round  to  the 
Diplomatic  Club  and  had  the  pleasure  of  enunciating 
my  sentiments.  Here  my  own  agency  ended,  but  Mr. 
Weed  drank  his  cup  of  victory  to  the  dregs.  He  spread 
the  news  in  every  direction,  and  finally  sat  down  to 
dinner  at  the  Reform  Club  with  two  sceptical  old  Eng 
lish  friends  of  our  side  and  had  the  pleasure  of  hear 
ing  the  news-boys  outside  shout  "Rumored  capture 
of  New  Orleans"  in  an  evening  extra,  while  the  news 
was  posted  at  Brookes's,  and  the  whole  town  was  in 
immense  excitement  as  though  it  were  an  English 
defeat. 

Indeed  the  effect  of  the  news  here  has  been  greater 
than  anything  yet.  It  has  acted  like  a  violent  blow  in 
the  face  on  a  drunken  man.  The  next  morning  the 
Times  came  out  and  gave  fairly  in  that  it  had  been  mis 
taken;  it  had  believed  Southern  accounts  and  was  de 
ceived  by  them.  This  morning  it  has  an  article  still 
more  remarkable  and  intimates  for  the  first  time  that 
it  sees  little  more  chance  for  the  South.  There  is,  we 
think,  a  preparation  for  withdrawing  their  belligerent 
declaration  and  acknowledging  again  the  authority 
of  the  Federal  Government  over  all  the  national  terri 
tory,  to  be  absolute  and  undisputed.  One  more  victory 
will  bring  us  up  to  this,  I  am  confident.  That  done, 
I  shall  consider,  not  only  that  the  nation  has  come 
through  a  struggle  such  as  no  other  nation  ever  heard 
of,  but  in  a  smaller  and  personal  point  of  view  I  shall 
feel  much  relieved  and  pleased  at  the  successful  career 
of  the  Chief. 


1862.]  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  147 

You  can  judge  of  the  probable  effect  of  this  last  vic 
tory  at  New  Orleans  from  the  fact  that  friend  Russell 
of  the  Times  (who  has  not  yet  called)  gravely  warned 
the  English  nation  yesterday  of  the  magnificent  army 
that  had  better  be  carefully  watched  by  the  English 
people,  since*  it  hated  them  like  the  devil  and  would 
want  to  have  something  to  do.  And  last  night  I  met 
Mr.  John  Bright  at  an  evening  reception,  who  seemed 
to  feel  somewhat  in  the  same  way.  "Now,"  said  he, 
"if  you  Americans  succeed  in  getting  over  this  affair, 
you  must  n't  go  and  get  stuffy  to  England.  Because  if 
you  do,  I  don't  know  what 's  to  become  of  us  who  stood 
up  for  you  here."  I  did  n't  say  we  would  n't,  but  I  did 
tell  him  that  he  need  n't  be  alarmed,  for  all  he  would 
have  to  do  would  be  to  come  over  to  America  and  we 
would  send  him  to  Congress  at  once.  He  laughed  and 
said  he  thought  he  had  had  about  enough  of  that  sort 
of  thing  in  England.  By  the  way,  there  is  a  story  that 
he  thinks  of  leaving  Parliament. 

This  last  week  has  been  socially  a  quiet  one  and  I 
have  seen  very  little  of  the  world,  as  I  have  no  time 
to  frequent  the  Club.  I  don't  get  ahead  very  fast  in 
English  society,  because  as  yet  I  can't  succeed  in  find 
ing  any  one  to  introduce  me  among  people  of  my  own 
age.  It's  the  same  way  with  all  the  foreigners  here, 
and  a  young  Englishman,  with  whom  I  talked  on  the 
subject,  comforted  me  by  acknowledging  the  fact  and 
saying  that  as  a  general  thing  young  Englishmen  were 
seldom  intimate  with  any  one  unless  they  had  known 
him  three  or  four  years.  He  gave  a  practical  illustra 
tion  of  the  principle  by  never  recognizing  me  since, 


148  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [MAY  le, 

although  we  sat  next  each  other  three  hours  at  a  dinner 
and  talked  all  the  time,  besides  drinking  various  bot 
tles  of  claret.  With  the  foreigners  I  do  much  better,  but 
they  are  generally  worse  off  than  I  am  in  society.  Ex 
cept  for  a  sort  of  conscientious  feeling,  I  should  care 
little  for  not  knowing  people  at  balls,  especially  as  all 
accounts,  especially  English,  declare  young  society  to 
be  a  frantic  bore.  .  .  . 

Now  as  to  your  letter  and  its  contents  on  the  negro 
question.  I've  not  published  it  for  two  reasons.  The 
first  is  that  the  tendency  here  now  is  pro-slavery  and 
the  sympathy  with  the  South  is  so  great  as  to  seek  jus 
tification  in  everything.  Your  view  of  the  case,  how 
ever  anti-slavery,  is  not  encouraging  nor  does  it  tend 
to  strengthen  our  case.  If  published,  especially  if  by 
any  accident  known  to  be  by  you,  it  might  be  used  to 
annoy  us  with  effect. 

My  second  reason,  though  this  alone  would  not  have 
decided  me,  is  that  it  seems  to  me  you  are  a  little  need 
lessly  dark  in  your  anticipations.  One  thing  is  certain; 
labor  in  America  is  dear  and  will  remain  so;  American 
cotton  will  always  command  a  premium  over  any  other 
yet  known;  and  can  be  most  easily  produced.  Emanci 
pation  cannot  be  instantaneous.  We  must  rather  found 
free  colonies  in  the  south  such  as  you  are  now  engaged 
in  building  up  at  Port  Royal;  the  nucleus  of  which 
must  be  military  and  naval  stations  garrisoned  by 
corps  d  'armee,  and  grouped  around  them  must  be  the 
emeriti,  the  old  soldiers  with  their  grants  of  lands,  their 
families,  their  schools,  churches  and  Northern  energy, 
forming  common  cause  with  the  negroes  in  gradually 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  149 

sapping  the  strength  of  the  slave-holders,  and  thus 
year  after  year  carrying  new  industry  and  free  insti 
tutions  until  their  borders  meet  from  the  Atlantic,  the 
Gulf,  the  Mississippi  and  the  Tennessee  in  a  common 
center,  and  the  old  crime  shall  be  expiated  and  the 
whole  social  system  of  the  South  reconstructed.  Such 
was  the  system  of  the  old  Romans  with  their  conquered 
countries  and  it  was  always  successful.  It  is  the  only 
means  by  which  we  can  insure  our  hold  on  the  South 
and  plant  colonies  that  are  certain  of  success.  It  must 
be  a  military  system  of  colonies,  governed  by  the  Ex 
ecutive  and  without  any  dependence  upon  or  relation 
to  the  States  in  which  they  happen  to  be  placed.  With 
such  a  system  I  would  allow  fifty  years  for  the  South 
to  become  ten  times  as  great  and  powerful  and  loyal 
as  she  ever  was,  besides  being  free. 

Such  are  my  ideas  and  as  the  negroes  would  be  ex 
tremely  valuable  and  even  necessary  to  the  develop 
ment  of  these  colonies,  or  the  Southern  resources  at 
I  trust  they  will  manage  to  have  a  career  yet. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  May  20,  1862 

IT  has  rained  every  day  at  some  time  in  the  day  for 
eight  or  ten  days.  People  begin  to  look  dismal  and 
croak  about  the  crops.  To  Great  Britain  every  day  of 
sunshine  lost  is  equal  to  an  expense  of  just  so  many 
thousand  pounds.  The  islands  never  produce  bread- 
stuffs  sufficient  for  the  consumption  of  the  people 
annually.  They  must  beg  some  millions  of  quarters  of 


150  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [MAY  20. 

wheat  at  any  rate.  In  bad  years  they  buy  just  so  much 
more.  Hence  it  is  that  at  this  season  every  bad  day 
sensibly  affects  the  price  of  stocks.  No  country  ever 
had  a  more  sensitive  thermometer  of  the  weather.  But 
if  this  be  true  in  ordinary  times,  how  much  more  so  in 
this  season.  The  supply  of  cotton  is  rapidly  and  stead 
ily  declining.  And  the  poor  operatives  of  Lancashire 
are  coming  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  time  of  starvation 
for  want  of  work.  If  upon  the  top  of  this  there  should 
come  a  dearth  of  bread,  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand 
the  extent  of  the  social  distress  that  may  ensue.  So 
there  are  miseries  quite  as  acute  as  those  of  war  which 
now  afflict  us. 

In  the  meanwhile  things  are  looking  better  rather 
than  worse  with  us.  The  game  of  secession  looks  as 
if  it  might  be  nearly  played  out.  The  country  is  just 
putting  forth  its  power  whilst  the  rebel  armies  are 
gasping  for  breath.  I  have  been  here  now  more  than 
a  year,  during  which  time  I  have  gone  through  nearly 
every  variety  of  emotion  in  connection  with  this  war. 
The  time  is  approaching,  I  trust,  when  this  anxiety  will 
disappear,  and  with  it  the  uncertainty  of  my  own  situ 
ation.  Doubtless  others  may  succeed,  of  an  equally 
serious  nature.  We  shall  have  upon  us  the  dangerous 
and  critical  task  of  restoration  of  the  civil  and  a  dimi 
nution  of  the  military  power.  All  this  is  very  likely. 
But  at  any  rate  that  condition  presents  a  different  face 
to  external  nations.  It  does  not  materially  impair  the 
entireness  of  the  national  position.  I  shall  therefore 
accept  the  transition  with  cheerfulness  and  accommo 
date  myself  to  the  new  state  with  more  cheerfulness 
than  to  the  old.  , 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  151 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  May  22,  1862 

WE  are  still  in  great  anxiety  to  know  the  results  of  the 
Yorktown  business,  having  as  yet  arrived  only  as  far 
as  Williamsburg  and  West  Point.  On  McClellan's  suc 
cess  in  dispersing  the  Southern  army  and  capturing  all 
the  means  for  carrying  on  a  war  will  depend  more  than 
I  like  to  think  of.  If  we  can  disperse  them,  too,  we  can 
immediately  reduce  our  army  one-half,  and  all  our  ex 
penses  on  the  same  scale.  I  dread  the  continuance  of 
this  war  and  its  demoralizing  effects  more  than  any-N 
thing  else,  and  happy  would  be  the  day  when  we  could 
see  the  first  sign  of  returning  peace.  It's  likely  to  be 
hard  enough  work  to  keep  our  people  educated  and 
honest  anyway,  and  the  accounts  that  reach  us  of  the 
wholesale  demoralization  in  the  army  of  the  west  from 
camp-life,  and  of  their  dirt,  and  whiskey  and  general 
repulsiveness,  are  not  encouraging  to  one  who  wants  to 
see  them  taught  to  give  up  that  blackguard  habit  of 
drinking  liquor  in  bar-rooms,  to  brush  their  teeth  and 
hands  and  wear  clean  clothes,  and  to  believe  that  they 
have  a  duty  in  life  besides  that  of  getting  ahead,  and 
a  responsibility  for  other  people's  acts  as  well  as  their 
own.  The  little  weaknesses  I  speak  of  are  faults  of 
youth;  but  what  will  they  become  if  America  in  its 
youth  takes  a  permanent  course  towards  every  kind  of 
idleness,  vice  and  ignorance? 

As  for  our  position  here,  it  is  all  that  could  be  wished. 
Everyone  congratulates  us  on  the  success  of  our  arms 
and  there  is  no  longer  any  hint  at  even  a  remonstrance, 


152  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [MAT  22, 

though  there  are  questions  between  the  Governments 
which  in  our  bitter  state  of  feeling  may  bring  difficulty. 
I  am  very  anxious  to  avoid  anything  of  this  sort.  We 
must  have  peace  for  many  years  if  we  are  to  heal  our 
wounds  and  put  the  country  on  the  right  track.  We 
must  bring  back  or  create  a  respect  for  law  and  order 
and  the  Constitution  and  the  civil  and  judicial  author 
ities.  The  nation  has  been  dragged  by  this  infernal 
cotton  that  had  better  have  been  burning  in  Hell,  far 
away  from  its  true  course,  and  its  worst  passions  and 
tastes  have  been  developed  by  a  forced  and  bloated 
growth.  It  will  depend  on  the  generation  to  which  you 
and  I  belong,  whether  the  country  is  to  be  brought 
back  to  its  true  course  and  the  New  England  element 
is  to  carry  the  victory,  or  whether  we  are  to  be  carried 
on  from  war  to  war  and  debt  to  debt  and  one  military 
leader  to  another,  till  we  lose  all  our  landmarks  and  go 
ahead  like  France  with  a  mere  blind  necessity  to  get 
on,  without  a  reason  or  a  principle.  No  more  wars. 
Let's  have  peace,  for  the  love  of  God. 

England  will  truckle  to  us  low  enough  when  we  regain 
our  power,  and  we  can  easily  revenge  ourselves  on  the 
classes  of  English  who  have  been  most  venemous, 
without  fighting  them  all.  It  is  but  to  shut  out  their 
trade  and  encourage  our  own  development.  I  am  now 
a  protectionist  of  the  most  rabid  description.  I  want 
to  see  us  developing  our  mines,  manufactures  and  com 
munications,  with  the  most  success  possible.  There  is 
England's  vulnerable  point;  but  we  shall  have  com 
mitted  a  blunder  of  the  worst  sort  if  we  allow  our  per 
sonal  prejudices  to  affect  our  national  policy  to  the 
extent  of  a  war.  .  .  . 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  153 

The  last  week  we  have  had  that  whited  sepulchre 
General  Cameron  here,  and  as  we  were  to  have  our  first 
large  dinner  on  Wednesday,  he  was  invited  to  it.  Then 
last  night  I  took  him  to  Monckton  Milnes,  where  he 
was  the  object  of  considerable  interest.  I  can't  say  that 
I  was  proud  of  my  charge,  nor  that  I  like  his  style. 
Thurlow  Weed  is  quite  as  American,  and  un-English, 
but  is  very  popular  and  altogether  infinitely  prefer 
able.  We  all  like  Mr.Weed  very  much,  and  are  sorry 
that  he  is  going  home  this  week.  As  for  Cameron,  I  hope 
he  will  vanish  into  the  steppes  of  Russia  and  wander 
there  for  eternity.  He  is  of  all  my  countrymen  one  of 
the  class  that  I  most  conspicuously  and  sincerely  de 
spise  and  detest.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  June  6,  1862 

THE  evening  before  the  Derby,  the  Chief  and  I  were 
down  at  the  House  of  Commons  from  five  o'clock  P.M. 
till  one  A.M.,  listening  to  the  great  debate  of  the  season. 
This  is  one  of  the  sights  that  I  enjoy  most.  With  us 
debate  has  gone  out,  and  set  speeches  and  personalities 
have  taken  its  place.  But  here,  though  they  no  longer 
speak  as  they  used  in  the  old  days  of  Pitt  and  Fox,  with 
rhetorical  effort  and  energy,  there  is  still  admirable 
debating.  That  night  we  heard  Palmerston,  Disraeli, 
Horsman  and  Cobden.  Palmerston  is  a  poor  speaker, 
wants  fluency  and  power,  and  talks  the  most  miserable 
sophistry,  but  he  does  it  so  amusingly  and  plausibly 
and  has  such  prestige  that  even  Disraeli's  keenness  puts 


154  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JUNE  6, 

no  quencher  on  him.  Gladstone  is  the  best  speaker  in 
the  house,  but  next  to  him  I  should  place  Disraeli.  He 
looks  precisely  like  the  pictures  in  Punch,  and  speaks 
with  a  power  of  making  hits  that  is  infinitely  amusing. 
He  kept  me  in  a  roar  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  and  the 
House  cheered  him  steadily.  Cobden  was  very  good 
too.  He  damaged  Horsman  dreadfully.  But  the  most 
striking  part  of  the  debate  was  that  not  a  word  as  to 
America  or  interference  was  said  in  it.  This  was  pecul 
iar  because  the  debate  was  on  the  subject  of  retrench 
ment,  and  retrenchment  was  necessary  because  of  the 
American  war.  Six  months  ago  such  a  debate  would 
not  have  taken  place,  but  in  its  place  we  should  have 
had  war  speeches  with  no  end. 

Our  position  here  now,  putting  aside  a  few  diplo 
matic  questions,  is  much  as  it  might  be  at  home.  The 
Speaker  calls  the  Chief  "The  Conqueror,"  and  it  is  only 
now  and  then,  when  our  armies  stop  a  moment  to  take 
breath,  and  they  think  here  that  we  are  in  trouble,  that 
the  opposition  raises  its  head  a  little  and  barks.  In 
deed  the  position  we  have  here  is  one  of  a  great  deal  of 
weight,  and  of  course  so  long  as  our  armies  march  for 
ward,  so  long  our  hands  are  elevated  higher  and  higher 
until  we  bump  the  stars.  I  hear  very  little  about  our 
friend  Mason.  He  is  said  to  be  very  anxious  and  to  fear 
a  rebellion  within  the  rebellion.  He  has  little  or  no 
attention  paid  him  except  as  a  matter  of  curiosity, 
though  occasionally  we  are  told  of  his  being  at  dinner 
somewhere  or  other.  A  Southern  newspaper  called  the 
Index  lately  started  here,  contains  numbers  of  south 
ern  letters,  all  of  which  are  so  excruciatingly  "  never 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  155 

conquer"  in  their  tone,  that  one  is  forced  to  the  be 
lief  that  they  think  themselves  very  near  that  last 
ditch.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

John's  Island,  S.C.,  June  18,  1862 

YOURS  of  May  23d  reached  me  here  last  night,  keeping 
up  the  series  of  your  weekly  despatches.  Whatever 
may  happen  to  me  in  this  war  I  assure  you  there  has 
been  no  item  in  it  which  has  touched  me  so  much  as 
this  series  of  letters  coming  so  regularly  in  spite  of  all 
you  had  to  occupy  your  mind.  They  have  not  been 
answered  as  they  should  have  been,  but  do  not  suppose 
that  I  have  failed  to  appreciate  them,  or  the  great 
though tfulness  which  dictated  them.  This  one  found 
me  well  and  in  good  spirits,  and  with  two  bulletins 
already  sent  to  John  and  Louisa  informing  them  of 
these  facts,  I  had  left  it  for  them  to  notify  you  and 
given  up  the  idea  of  writing  myself,  for  writing  here  is 
no  small  effort;  but  as  General  Williams  orders  all  of 
us  to  sit  up  all  night,  I  am  going  to  devote  my  two 
hours  of  dawn  to  you. 

You  have  probably  heard,  through  Southern  sources 
and  with  their  usual  degree  of  truth,  of  the  action  yes 
terday  and  you  may  have  been  anxious  for  my  safety, 
though  I  hope  you  were  sufficiently  ignorant  of  all  the 
facts  not  to  be  apprehensive  for  me  personally.  The 
amount  of  the  whole  story  is  that  we  had  a  severe  action 
and  were  repulsed  with  very  heavy  loss.  This  much 
you  know;  and  for  myself,  General  Williams'  brigade 
was  in  the  advance  of  one  of  the  attacking  columns, 


156  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [JUNE  is, 

was  under  fire  about  four  hours,  during  the  whole  of 
which  time  the  danger  of  his  men  was  fully  shared  by 
the  General  and  his  staff.  I  would  not  have  missed 
it  for  anything.  I  had  never  been  really  under  fire  be 
fore  and  the  sensation  was  glorious.  There  we  were, 
mounted  officers,  either  standing  right  before  the 
enemy's  works,  while  the  shells  went  shrieking  and  hur 
tling  just  over  our  heads  and  sometimes  broke  close 
to  us,  or  else  carrying  orders  to  all  parts  of  the  line, 
feeling  that  you  carried  life  and  death  in  your  hands. 
I  was  frightened  of  course  —  every  one  is,  except  a  few 
who  don't  know  what  danger  is;  but  my  fear  was  not 
what  I  had  imagined  it  might  be.  My  face  was  a  little 
fixed  I  imagine.  I  knew  that  my  nerves  were  a  little 
braced,  but  my  mind  was  never  clearer  or  more  easily 
made  up  on  points  of  doubt,  and  altogether  the  ma 
chine  worked  with  a  vigor  and  power  which,  under  the 
circumstances,  I  had  never  hoped  it  possessed.  To  all 
his  staff,  collectively  and  individually,  General  Wil 
liams  has  expressed  the  highest  satisfaction,  saying  that 
he  was  perfectly  satisfied  and  that  a  difficult  and  dan 
gerous  work  could  not  have  been  better  executed;  and 
if  you  knew  General  Bob,  and  had  seen  how  recklessly 
he  exposed  himself,  and  were  aware  how  he  does  snub 
and  how  he  does  n't  praise,  you  would  allow  that  this 
was  something.  In  a  word  I  don't  care  if  I'm  never 
in  action  again,  and  I  would  rather  not  run  its  risk, 
though  I  should  like  once  to  join  in  the  shouts  of  vic 
tory;  but  I  would  not  for  anything  have  lost  the  expe 
rience  of  yesterday  and,  without  affectation,  it  was  one 
of  the  most  enjoyable  days  I  ever  passed. 


GENERAL  ROBERT  WILLIAMS 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  157 

I  don't  pretend  to  give  you  a  history  of  the  engage 
ment.  You  will  get  that  from  the  lying  prints,  and  a 
very  false  one  it  will  be;  but  being  on  the  staff  I  saw 
all  the  Generals  and  all  the  movements.  There  was 
Benham,  an  old  hen,  cackling  round,  insulted  by  mes 
sages  from  angry  Brigadiers  sent  through  boyish  aids, 
and  he  himself  mainly  anxious  for  cover,  indecisive, 
and,  many  thought,  frightened.  There  was  Wright,  a 
little  excited  at  times  but  growing  genial  and  kindly 
as  the  fire  grew  hot.  There  was  your  friend,  Stevens, 
dirty  and  excited,  but  clear  headed  and  full  of  fight, 
with  a  dirty  straw  hat  on  his  head  and  his  trousers 
above  his  knees  from  the  friction  of  riding.  And  finally, 
there  was  handsome  Bob  Williams  astride  of  his  big 
horse,  defiantly  planted  in  front  of  the  battery  in 
open  field,  full  of  all  sorts  of  humors  —  the  long  sabre 
hanging  from  the  saddle-bow  and  his  eyes  beaming, 
sparkling  and  snapping  according  to  the  turn  of  the 
fight.  In  the  hottest  fire  he  grew  genial  and  took  the 
occasion  of  a  shell  splashing  us  with  mud  to  tell  me  an 
old  and  not  very  good  story.  Then  the  retreat  was 
ordered  and  he  grew  savage,  though  not  to  us;  and 
finally  I  thought  old  Benham  would  have  to  put  him 
under  arrest,  he  treated  him  with  such  undisguised  con 
tempt.  My  rides  round  the  battle  field  too  were  curi 
ous.  Here  was  a  long  line  of  wounded  men  toiling  to 
the  rear,  and  the  different  ways  in  which  they  bore 
their  wounds,  from  the  coward  limping  off  untouched 
to  the  plucky  fellow  with  his  leg  hanging  by  the  skin 
making  faces  that  he  might  not  yell.  There  were  knots 
of  men  behind  hedges  and  in  the  ditches,  stragglers 


158  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [JUNE  27, 

and  cowards,  men  who  could  not  be  shamed  to  the 
front.  To  talk  of  the  horrors  of  a  battle  field  is  a  mis 
nomer.  The  hospital  is  horrid  and  so  are  the  stretchers 
and  ambulances  running  blood;  but  in  the  heat  of  bat 
tle  a  corpse  becomes  a  bundle  of  old  clothes  and  you 
pass  the  most  fearful  wounds  with  a  mere  glance  and 
without  a  thought. 

There  was  nothing  disgraceful  in  our  repulse,  and 
our  retreat  was  a  model  of  good  order  and  regularity. 
The  regiments  when  overcome  retired  in  column  in 
common  step  and  with  their  colors  flying  and  formed 
exactly  where  their  officers  ordered.  There  was  no 
running,  no  panic,  and  I  felt  proud  of  New  England  as 
I  saw  the  3d  N.H.  coolly  hold  their  position  between 
two  murderous  fires.  We  should  have  whipped  them 
dreadfully  had  they  followed  us.  ... 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  June  27,  1862 

Bur  the  main  thing  is  now  the  issue  at  Richmond.  At 
the  latest  dates  things  were  getting  uncomfortably 
close.  McClellan  was  making  his  movements  steadily 
and  slowly  until  the  choice  only  remained  to  attack  at 
disadvantage  or  to  move.  In  this  case  my  impression 
is  strong  that  the  rebels  will  move.  They  did  so  at 
Manassas,  and  at  Yorktown,  at  Williamsburg  and  at 
Corinth.  Why  not  do  so  again?  The  only  question  is  to 
know  where  to  go  to.  Money  is  scarce,  and  confeder 
ate  promises  have  lost  what  little  credit  they  had.  The 
means  to  feed  and  support  great  bodies  of  men  are  not 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  159 

so  easily  to  be  had  from  a  country  already  pretty  heav 
ily  drawn  upon.  My  conclusion  is  that  before  long  the 
attempt  to  keep  a  large  army  in  the  field  must  be 
abandoned,  and  that  from  that  time  hostilities  will  be 
continued  by  small  bands  who  will  sustain  themselves 
by  levies  on  the  country.  Such  is  the  policy  sketched 
out  by  Mr.  Yancey  in  a  letter  to  somebody  here  of 
which  I  have  heard.  The  effect  of  this  will  doubtless  be 
to  complete  the  devastation  and  ruin  which  seems  to 
be  the  fate  of  the  slaveholding  region.  I  scarcely  see 
the  good  it  will  do  to  anybody.  If  cotton  be  not  grown 
here,  it  will  come  from  Surat  and  Bombay.  In  the 
meanwhile  what  are  the  slaves  to  do? 

The  cotton  problem  in  England  is  becoming  more 
and  more  serious.  The  stock  has  got  down  to  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  bales,  and  there  is  a  de 
mand  for  export  which  is  reducing  it  faster  than  was 
anticipated.  At  present  it  is  calculated  that  by  No 
vember  there  will  be  none  left.  Provided  always  that 
the  slaveholders  should  be  so  foolish  as  to  persevere 
in  destroying  it  and  themselves.  It  has  seemed  to  me 
all  along  that  they  were  mere  suicides,  and  I  believe  it 
more  firmly  every  day. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

James  Island,  S.C.,  June  28,  1862 

I  RECEIVED  yours  of  May  30th  last  week  and  it  found 
me  still  here.  Since  then,  however,  the  news  of  the  en 
gagement  of  the  16th  has  been  carried  home  and  today 
we  receive  the  return  blast  from  Washington.  They 
tell  us  we  are  to  see  Charleston,  but  not  now  to  enter 


160  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [JUNE  28, 

it;  that  we  are  to  go  back  to  Hilton-head  and  generally 
to  confess  ourselves  as  out-generaled,  while  Benham  is 
to  be  made  the  scape-goat  for  all  our  misfortunes  —  and 
the  last  is  the  only  item  of  news  which  gives  us  any 
satisfaction.  The  army  is  a  great  place  to  learn  phi 
losophy,  I  find,  and  in  it  you  not  only  get  careless  of 
danger,  but  indifferent  as  to  what  disposition  is  made 
of  you.  The  enemy  have  again  begun  to  shell  us  and  yet 
I  find  I  do  not  even  any  longer  go  to  the  door  of  my 
tent  to  see  where  and  how  their  shells  burst.  And  to 
day,  though  under  every  circumstance  I  have  looked 
on  riding  into  Charleston  as  a  sure  and  ample  reward 
for  all  I  might  be  called  on  to  undergo,  I  hear  that  the 
chances  are  immense  against  my  ever  receiving  that 
reward  with  an  indifference  which  surprises  me.  I  am 
ordered  and  I  can't  help  it;  though  it  seems  strange  to 
me  that  we  must  turn  our  backs  on  these  fellows  for 
lack  of  ten  poor  regiments  out  of  the  grand  army  of 
the  republic.  I  do  so  know  we  could  whip  these  men  if 
we  had  two  chances  out  of  five,  and  we  would  so  like 
to  do  it;  and  now  to  go  back  with  nothing  but  failure 
—  oh !  for  one  hour  of  generalship ! !  Everything  here 
but  honor  has  been  sacrificed  to  the  fussy  incompetence 
of  Benham,  the  unmilitary  amiability  of  Hunter,  and 
the  misplaced  philanthropy  of  Edward  L.  Pierce.  .  .  . 
Philanthropy  is  a  nuisance  in  time  of  war  and  I  sym 
pathised  somewhat  with  Governor  Stanley.  There  are 
3000  men  at  Beaufort  in  the  service  of  philanthropy 
and  tomorrow  we  turn  our  backs  on  Charleston  be 
cause  they  are  not  here.  What  good  is  Beaufort  to  us? 
A  gun-boat  can  take  it  any  day.  I  respect  the  mission- 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  161 

aries  for  their  objects  and  perseverance,  but  they  have 
no  business  here.  Their  time  is  not  yet  and  they  make 
us  fight  in  fetters.  .  .  . 

General  Williams  has  seen  fit  in  a  special  order  to  his 
brigade  to  make  honorable  mention,  among  others,  of 
each  member  of  his  staff  by  name.  He  also  yester 
day  requested  me  in  my  next  letter  to  you  to  mention 
from  him  his  extreme  satisfaction  with  my  conduct  in 
the  action.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  July  4,  1862 

THIS  detestable  war  is  not  of  our  own  choosing,  and 
out  of  it  must  grow  consequences  important  to  the  wel 
fare  of  coming  generations,  not  likely  to  issue  from  a 
continuance  of  peace.  All  this  is  true,  and  yet  here  in 
this  lonely  position  of  prominence  among  a  people  self 
ish,  jealous,  and  at  heart  hostile,  it  needs  a  good  deal 
of  fortitude  to  conjoin  private  solicitude  with  the  un 
avoidable  responsibilities  of  a  critical  public  station. 
I  had  hoped  that  the  progress  of  General  McClellan 
would  have  spared  us  much  of  this  trouble.  But  it  is 
plain  that  he  has  much  of  the  Fabian  policy  in  his 
composition  which  threatens  to  draw  the  war  into 
greater  length.  Of  course  we  must  be  content  to  take  a 
great  deal  on  trust.  Thus  far  the  results  have  been  all 
that  we  had  a  reasonable  right  to  expect.  Let  us  hope 
that  the  delay  is  not  without  its  great  purposes.  My 
belief  is  unshaken  that  the  end  of  this  conflict  is  to 
topple  down  the  edifice  of  slavery.  Perhaps  we  are  not 


162  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JULY  4, 

yet  ready  to  come  up  to  that  work,  and  the  madness 
of  the  resistance  is  the  instrument  in  the  hands  of 
Divine  Providence  to  drive  us  to  it.  It  may  be  so.  I 
must  hold  my  soul  in  patience,  and  pray  for  courage 
and  resignation. 

This  is  the  4th  of  July.  Eighty-six  years  ago  our 
ancestors  staked  themselves  in  a  contest  of  a  far  more 
dangerous  and  desperate  character.  The  only  fault 
they  committed  was  in  omitting  to  make  it  more  gen 
eral  and  complete.  Had  they  then  consented  to  follow 
Thomas  Jefferson  to  the  full  extent  of  his  first  draught 
of  the  Declaration,  they  would  have  added  little  to  the 
seven  years  severity  of  their  struggle  and  would  have 
entirely  saved  the  present  trials  from  their  children. 
I  trust  we  shall  not  fall  into  any  similar  mistake,  and 
if  we  are  tempted  to  do  so,  I  trust  the  follies  of  our 
enemy  will  avert  from  us  the  consequences  of  our  weak 
ness.  This  is  the  consideration  which  makes  me  most 
tolerant  of  the  continuance  of  the  war.  I  am  not  a 
friend  of  the  violent  policy  of  the  ultras  who  seem  to 
me  to  have  no  guide  but  their  own  theories.  This 
great  movement  must  be  left  in  a  degree  to  develope 
itself,  and  human  power  must  be  applied  solely  to 
shape  the  consequences  so  far  as  possible  to  the  best 
uses.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  July  4,  1862 

IT  is  some  time  since  I  last  wrote.  I  have  hardly  had 
the  courage  to  do  so  in  the  face  of  what  is  now  going 
on  at  home,  and  today  we  hear  news  of  a  battle  near 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  163 

Charleston  on  the  16th  which  has  done  little  to  en 
courage  me.  Your  last  letter  speaking  of  your  illness 
and  general  position  troubled  our  camp  much.  I  had 
to  pooh-pooh  it  more  than  I  liked  in  order  to  stop  the 
noise.  Hard  as  your  life  is  and  threatens  to  become,  I 
would  like  well  to  share  it  with  you  in  order  to  escape 
in  the  consciousness  of  action  a  little  of  the  struggle 
against  fancied  evils  that  we  feel  here. 

The  truth  is  we  are  suffering  now  under  one  of  those 
periodical  returns  of  anxiety  and  despondency  that  I 
have  often  written  of.  The  last  was  succeeded  by  that 
brilliant  series  of  successes  which  gave  us  New  Orleans, 
Yorktown,  Norfolk  and  Memphis,  and  perhaps  this 
may  end  as  well;  but  meanwhile  we  are  haunted  by 
stories  about  McClellan  and  by  the  strange  want  of 
life  that  seems  justly  or  not  to  characterize  our  mili 
tary  and  naval  motions.  You  at  Charleston  seem  to  be 
an  exception  to  the  rule  of  stagnation  which  leaves  us 
everywhere  on  the  defensive  even  when  attacking.  A 
little  dash  does  so  much  to  raise  one's  spirits,  and  now 
our  poor  men  only  sicken  in  marshes.  I  think  of  it  all 
as  little  as  I  can. 

Our  own  position  here  is  now  so  uninteresting  as  to 
give  us  nothing  to  think  of.  After  some  pretty  sharp 
fighting  and  curious  experiences  that  I  dare  n't  trust 
to  paper,  we  are  again  quiet  and  undisturbed,  waiting 
the  event  of  the  struggle  at  Richmond.  Things  are  not 
over-inspiriting  with  us,  but  I  don't  know  that  they 
look  much  brighter  with  the  English  or  French.  The 
suffering  among  the  operatives  in  Lancashire  is  very 
great  and  is  increasing  in  a  scale  that  makes  people 


164  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [JULY  16. 

very  uncomfortable  though  as  yet  they  keep  quiet 
about  it.  Cotton  is  going  up  to  extraordinary  prices; 
in  a  few  days  only  it  advanced  three  cents  a  pound  and 
is  still  rising.  Prices  for  cotton  goods  are  merely  nomi 
nal  and  vary  according  to  the  opinions  of  the  holders, 
so  that  the  whole  trade  is  now  pure  speculation.  Mills 
are  closing  in  every  direction.  Add  to  this  that  the 
season  has  been  bad  and  a  short  crop  is  now  considered 
a  certainty,  and  you  can  comprehend  how  anxious  peo 
ple  must  be  to  know  how  they  are  to  weather  next 
winter.  No  doubt  this  state  of  things  will  soon  produce 
fresh  agitation  for  mediation  or  intervention  before 
long  if  no  progress  is  made  by  our  armies,  but  as  yet 
we  enjoy  quiet.  .  .  . 

If  it  were  not  for  home  matters  it  would  be  all  well 
enough,  but  they  have  a  good  deal  of  influence  here, 
which  is  felt  rather  than  seen.  We  have  entertained 
a  good  deal  —  evening  receptions  once  a  week  for 
Americans,  and  several  state  dinners  for  English.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Hilton  Head,  S.C.,  July  16,  1862 

MCCLELLAN'S  reverses  fell  on  us  with  sufficient  weight 
here  and  10,000  of  our  troops  are  being  hurried  to  the 
north,  destroying  all  chance  of  operations  here  and 
leaving  only  artillery  to  hold  these  points.  For  artillery 
and  cavalry  they  say  they  do  not  need,  so  our  poor 
regiment  seems  likely  to  go  into  garrison  duty  in  the 
midst  of  active  war,  and  that  too  when  all  the  opera 
tions  of  the  war  in  Virginia  indicate  the  vital  necessity 


1862.]         A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  165 

of  good  cavalry  and  this  regiment  is  here  considered 
the  best  in  our  volunteer  service.  However  personal 
considerations  don't  amount  to  much  and  I  want  to  dis 
cuss  the  news  and  its  effects.  How  do  you  look  at  this 
terrible  fighting  in  Virginia?  Not,  I  mean,  in  a  mili 
tary  or  even  immediate  point  of  view,  but  in  its  remote 
bearing  on  our  country's  future?  For  myself  I  must 
confess  I  begin  to  be  frightened.  The  questions  of  the 
future  seem  to  me  too  great  for  us  to  grapple  with  suc 
cessfully  and  I  have  really  begun  to  fear  anarchy  and 
disorganisation  for  years  to  come.  If  we  succeed  in 
our  attempt  at  subjugation,  I  see  only  an  immense  ter 
ritory  and  a  savage  and  ignorant  populace  to  be  held 
down  by  force,  the  enigma  of  slavery  to  be  settled  by 
us  somehow,  right  or  wrong,  and,  most  dangerous  of  all, 
a  spirit  of  blind,  revengeful  fanaticism  in  the  North, 
of  which  Sumner  has  come  in  my  mind  to  be  typical, 
which,  utterly  deficient  in  practical  wisdom,  will,  if  it 
can,  force  our  country  into  any  position  —  be  it  bank 
rupt,  despotic,  anarchical,  or  what  not  —  in  its  blind 
efforts  to  destroy  slavery  and  the  South.  These  men, 
and  they  will  always  in  troublous  times  obtain  tem 
porary  supreme  control,  will  bankrupt  the  nation,  jeop 
ard  all  liberty  by  immense  standing  armies,  debauch 
the  morality  of  the  nation  by  war,  and  undermine  all 
our  republican  foundations  to  effect  the  immediate 
destruction  of  the  one  institution  of  slavery.  Do  you 
not  think  that  this  is  so?  . 


166  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [JULY  19. 

CHAKLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  July  18,  1862 

You  can  have  very  little  notion  of  the  effect  the  Rich 
mond  news  is  having  here.  It  has  set  all  the  elements 
of  hostility  to  us  in  agitation,  and  they  are  working  to 
carry  the  House  of  Commons  off  their  feet  in  its  debate 
tonight.  To  that  end  a  story  has  been  manufactured 
of  an  alleged  capitulation  of  General  McClellan  on  the 
third  coming  out  by  the  Glasgow  that  sailed  on  the 
fifth,  in  the  face  of  a  later  telegram  dated  the  seventh, 
which  reported  his  address  to  his  army  pledging  himself 
to  continue  the  war.  Yet  the  people  here  are  fully  ready 
to  credit  anything  that  is  not  favorable.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  the  matter  is  bad  enough,  but  it  is  not  quite 
to  that  extent.  Yet  the  consequences  are  likely  to  be 
as  unfavorable  as  if  it  was.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

[London,]  Saturday,  July  19,  1862 

KNOWING  that  you  would  probably  be  anxious  to  hear 
from  us  what  effect  the  bad  news  of  June  26-30  might 
have  on  our  position  here,  I  take  the  last  moment  to 
write  in  order  to  tell  you  what  I  think  we  are  to  expect. 
Certainly  it  was  a  violent  blow.  We  suffered  several 
days  of  very  great  anxiety,  knowing  that  the  current 
here  was  rising  every  hour  and  running  harder  against 
us  than  at  any  time  since  the  Trent  affair.  This  re 
verse  called  out  at  once  all  the  latent  hostility  here,  and 
there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  give  way.  I  shut  myself 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  167 

up,  went  to  no  more  parties  and  avoided  contact  with 
everyone  except  friends.  .  .  .  The  only  bright  spot  in 
the  week  was  the  reception  of  your  letter.  As  we  had  all 
relied  on  your  being  safe  in  the  hospital,  or  if  not  there, 
with  your  regiment  which  we  knew  was  not  engaged, 
your  letter  was  quite  welcome,  as  it  told  us  first  both 
of  your  going  in  and  your  coming  out.  I  congratulate 
you,  and  apropos  to  that,  I  congratulate  your  General 
Hunter  on  his  negro-army  letter.  We  all  here  sustain 
him  and  I  assure  you  that  the  strongest  means  of  hold 
ing  Europe  back  is  the  sight  of  an  effective  black  army. 
Nevertheless  our  trouble  here  was  extreme.  As  the 
week  passed  it  was  not  diminished.  Nor  is  it  now,  I 
fear,  permanently  so.  It  arrived  however  at  its  cul 
minating  point  last  night.  It  so  happened  that  last 
night  was  the  occasion  of  an  expected  debate  in  the 
Commons  on  a  motion  in  favor  of  mediation.  We  had 
been  busy  in  preparing  for  it  and  had  assurances  that 
all  was  right.  But  lo  and  behold,  at  two  o'clock  yes 
terday  afternoon  in  rushes  a  member  of  the  Commons, 
and  half  a  dozen  alarmists  in  his  rear,  with  an  evening 
paper  whose  telegraphic  column  was  headed  in  big 
letters,  "Capitulation  of  McClellan's  Army.  Flight 
of  McClellan  on  a  steamer.  Later  from  America." 
This  astounding  news  for  a  moment  made  me  almost 
give  way.  But  a  single  glance  at  dates  showed  us  that 
it  was  an  utter  swindle,  and  that  we  had  bulletins  from 
McClellan  of  two  days  later  than  the  day  of  the  re 
ported  surrender.  The  next  reflexion  led  us  to  see  that 
it  was  intended  for  the  debate  of  the  same  evening,  and 
we,  who  know  the  seal,  recognized  the  stamp  of  our 


168  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [JULY  19, 

old  friends  the  Southern  liars,  who  juggled  Georgia 
out  of  the  Union  by  telegraph.  But  the  consternation 
among  our  friends  was  incredible  and  even  when  they 
knew  it  must  be  false,  they  still  shook  and  shuddered 
with  terror.  Every  Englishman  believed  it,  or  doubted 
in  a  tone  that  showed  he  wanted  to  believe  it.  As  for 
me,  I  have  come  to  consider  it  my  whole  duty  here  to 
keep  up  the  spirits  of  the  community  and  so  did  the 
best  I  could  to  laugh  the  lie  off.  Luckily  its  effect  on 
the  Commons  was  very  good,  for  it  disposed  them  to 
postpone  action  and  tended  to  quiet  them.  Palmerston 
made  a  good  speech,  and  the  motion  was  not  pressed 
to  a  division.  This  morning  the  Arabia's  news  has 
arrived,  three  days  later,  which  relieves  us  again  for 
a  time  of  our  anxiety,  and  induces  us  to  believe  that 
the  enemy  were  as  much  crippled  by  their  victory  as 
we  by  our  defeat. 

Thus  the  pinch  has  again  passed  by  for  the  moment 
and  we  breathe  more  freely.  But  I  think  I  wrote  to 
you  some  time  ago  that  if  July  found  us  still  in  Virginia, 
we  could  no  longer  escape  interference.  I  think  now 
that  it  is  inevitable.  The  only  delay  thus  far  has  been 
caused  by  the  difficulty  in  inducing  the  five  great 
powers  to  unite,  and  Russia  and  Austria  to  act  with 
England  in  any  sense  favorable  to  the  South.  That 
unity  cannot  much  longer  fail  to  be  obtainable.  Eng 
land  alone  or  with  France  will  not  move,  but  their 
idea  is  that  if  all  the  great  powers  were  to  unite  in  of 
fering  mediation,  they  could  by  their  moral  influence 
alone  force  some  result.  If  the  North  defied  them,  a 
simple  recognition  of  the  South  by  them  would,  they 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  169 

think,  secure  her  independence.  And  this  belief  is 
probably  correct. 

It  must  now  be  the  effort  of  the  North  to  cast  upon 
the  South  the  responsibility  of  standing  against  a  set 
tlement.  Here  will  be  three  means  of  hampering 
European  attempts:  the  slavery  question,  the  bound 
ary  question,  and  the  Mississippi;  and  it  is  the  slav 
ery  question  from  which  we  can  derive  the  greatest 
strength  in  this  running  battle.  You  see  we  are  strip 
ping  and  squaring  off,  to  say  nothing  of  sponging,  for 
the  next  round.  If  our  armies  sustain  us,  we  shall  win. 
If  not,  we  shall  soon  see  the  limit  of  our  hopes. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Hilton  Head,  S.C.,  July  28,  1862 

I  READ  your  4th  of  July  reflections  with  much  interest 
and  on  part  of  them  my  last  letter  to  you  had  bearing. 
Our  ultra-friends,  including  General  Hunter,  seem  to 
have  gone  crazy  and  they  are  doing  the  blacks  all  the 
harm  they  can.  On  this  issue  things  are  very  bad. 
General  Hunter  is  so  carried  away  by  his  idea  of  negro 
regiments  as,  not  only  to  write  flippant  letters  about  his 
one  to  Secretary  Stanton,  but  even  to  order  their  ex 
emption  from  all  fatigue  duty;  so  that  while  our  North 
ern  soldiers  work  ten  hours  a  day  in  loading  and  un 
loading  ships,  the  blacks  never  leave  their  camp,  but 
confine  their  attention  to  drill.  There  may  be  reasons 
for  this,  but  it  creates  intense  feeling  here  and  even 
I  cannot  see  the  justice  of  it.  The  course  of  Sumner, 
Wade,  Stanton,  etc.,  have  ruined  us,  I  fear,  in  the  war, 


170  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [JULY  28, 

by  making  success  subservient  to  their  preconceived 
plans  of  negro  good,  instead  of  allowing  the  movement 
to  develope  itself.  I  no  longer  see  anything  but  our 
ruin  on  our  success,  and  no  escape  from  it  save  in  our 
defeat  as  to  the  ends  of  the  war.  Still  I  do  not  lose  faith, 
but  go  into  the  future  as  cheerfully,  if,  in  my  own  opin 
ion,  a  little  more  blindly  than  heretofore.  I  liked  the 
innuendoes  in  Hawthorne's  article  in  the  July  Atlantic. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Hilton  Head,  S.C. 
July  28,  1862 

THIS  place  is  not  at  all  the  pestilential  spot  you  all 
seem  to  suppose,  and  if  you  will  convince  yourself  of 
that,  you  will  all  save  yourselves  a  great  deal  of  anxiety. 
The  deaths  here  of  all  descriptions,  arising  from  disease, 
wounds  and  accidents,  are  not  more  than  six  a  week  out 
of  some  5000  men,  which  is  about  six  per  cent  a  year 
and  that  in  the  very  heart  of  the  summer.  From  this 
you  will  see  that  the  station,  however  disagreeable, 
and  General  Williams  says  it's  the  most  so  he  ever 
saw,  certainly  cannot  be  considered  unhealthy.  .  .  . 

We  get  nothing  new  here.  Col.  Williams'  nomina 
tion  as  Brigadier  was  among  the  unfinished  business 
of  Congress  and  so  falls  to  the  ground;  but  I  shall  act 
on  his  staff,  though  I  expect  very  soon  to  return  to 
the  regiment,  though  not  to  my  old  company.  .  .  .  Ben 
Crowninshield  is  at  home  on  furlough  and  at  Sharon. 
.  .  .  Lawrence  Motley  is  really  down  sick,  as  also  is 
Rand.  Greely  Curtis  has  also  been  on  his  back  —  all 
of  them  four  times  as  sick  as .  Henry  Higginson 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  171 

is  acting  in  command  of  the  regiment  and  more  than 
a  third  of  the  officers  are  away  sick  or  on  detached 
duty.  By  way  of  variety  our  horses  have  the  glanders 
and  we  have  lost  some  forty  and  not  yet  succeeded  in 
wholly  getting  rid  of  it.  So  we  feel  the  necessity  of 
some  change,  somehow. 

General  Hunter  is  very  unpopular  —  arbitrary  and 
wholly  taken  up  with  his  negro  question.  His  one  regi 
ment  is  a  failure,  and  becoming  more  so,  and  I  have  no 
faith  in  the  experiment  anyhow.  I  smiled  audibly  at 
your  idea  of  my  taking  a  commission  in  one  of  them; 
after  all  my  assertion  of  principles  to  become  a  "nig 
ger  driver"  in  my  old  age,  for  that  is  what  it  amounts 
to,  seeing  that  they  don't  run  away,  or  shirk  work  or 
fatigue  duty.  No !  Hunter  and  you  are  all  wrong,  and, 
for  once,  the  War  Department  was  right.  The  negroes 
should  be  organized  and  officered  as  soldiers;  they 
should  have  arms  put  in  their  hands  and  be  drilled 
simply  with  a  view  to  their  moral  elevation  and  the 
effect  on  their  self-respect,  and  for  the  rest  they  should 
be  used  as  fatigue  parties  and  on  all  fatigue  duty.  As 
to  being  made  soldiers,  they  are  more  harm  than  good. 
It  will  be  years  before  they  can  be  made  to  stand  before 
their  old  masters,  unless  (and  the  exception  means  a 
great  deal)  some  leader  of  their  own,  some  Toussaint 
rises,  who  is  one  of  them  and  inspires  them  with  con 
fidence.  Under  our  system  and  with  such  white  officers 
as  we  give  them,  we  might  make  a  soldiery  equal  to 
the  native  Hindoo  regiments  in  about  five  years.  It 
won't  pay  and  the  idea  of  arming  the  blacks  as  soldiers 
must  be  abandoned. 


172  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS        [AUG.  i. 

To  my  mind  the  ultras  are  doing  all  the  harm  they 
can  and  it  is  yet  a  question  whether  they  will  not  save 
slavery  out  of  this  war,  rather  than  let  Providence  work 
its  destruction  in  ways  other  than  those  preconceived 
by  them.  I  sincerely  hope  Sumner  will  be  defeated 
in  the  fall  election.  As  to  the  army,  so  far  as  I  see  it, 
it  is  completely  demoralized  on  this  question  by  the 
conduct  of  these  men,  and  it  makes  me  sick  to  hear 
New  England  men  talk  on  the  subject  of  the  negroes 
here  and  all  who  would  aid  them.  Such  prejudice  and 
narrow  bigotry  I  never  met  in  Southerners.  There  is  no 
abolitionism  or,  I  fear,  even  emancipation  in  the  army 
here.  The  ultras  in  their  eagerness  have  spoilt  all.  It 
is  all  right,  you  know,  and  for  the  best;  but  is  n't  it 
enough  to  make  an  equine  laugh  to  see  a  man  like 
Sumner,  so  convinced  that  he  alone  sees  the  clear  way, 
so  absolute  in  his  opinions  and  wholly  devoid  of  char 
ity  to  others,  withal  such  an  utterly  blind  instrument 
in  the  hand  of  Providence.  The  plot  thickens  and  I 
hope  this  war  will  spare  me,  as  I  don't  want  to  die, 
until  I  see  how  all  this  turmoil,  confusion  and  disaster, 
is,  on  pure  philosophical  principles,  to  result,  as  we 
know  it  will,  in  the  advancement  of  the  human  kind. 
How  much  and  how  long  must  you  and  I  suffer  that 
that  advancement  may  be  worked  out. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  August  1,  1862 

WE  have  been  much  prejudiced  here  by  the  unfortu 
nate  turn  things  took  at  Richmond.   It  is  impossible 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  173 

for  a  non-military  man  to  form  any  judgment  of  the 
events  of  the  campaign,  but  one  thing  seems  to  be  cer 
tain,  that  General  McClellan  must  have  made  some 
egregious  miscalculation  of  the  strength  of  his  right 
wing.  Otherwise  the  attack  of  Stuart  could  not  have 
been  successful.  As  to  the  future  I  dare  not  count  upon 
anything.  From  this  point  I  should  hardly  suppose  that 
we  had  any  forces  left  anywhere.  The  only  accounts 
we  get  are  of  the  multitudes  on  the  other  side.  Our 
newspapers  and  quidnuncs  delight  in  counting  them 
with  additions  of  many  ciphers,  until  I  am  bound  to  in 
fer  that  the  census  of  1860  is  all  a  northern  forgery,  and 
that  the  slave  states  have  had  the  fertility  of  the  north 
ern  hordes  that  overran  the  Romans  in  the  days  of  the 
lower  Empire.  So  far  as  foreign  countries  are  concerned 
I  am  very  much  of  opinion  that  our  press  does  more 
harm  than  good  to  our  cause.  It  discloses  all  our  own 
position,  whilst  it  exaggerates  that  of  the  rebels  of  which 
it  knows  really  nothing.  As  a  consequence  evil  minded 
people  here  take  every  advantage  of  both  practices, 
to  our  harm.  .  .  . 

If  you  are  still  with  General  Williams  I  beg  you 
to  express  to  him  my  thanks  for  his  remembrance  of 
me  in  the  commendation  he  was  disposed  to  give  you. 
Nothing  could  have  been  more  grateful  to  my  feelings. 
Much  as  I  deplore  this  unfortunate  war,  brought  on 
by  the  infatuation  of  men  who  are  only  sealing  their 
own  fate  in  persevering  in  it,  I  see  and  admit  the  neces 
sity  which  forces  you  to  take  your  share  in  it.  And  such 
being  the  fact,  it  is  consoling  to  me  to  reflect  that  you 
are  doing  your  duty  with  credit  and  with  honor.  Should 


174  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [AUG.  10, 

the  time  arrive  when  you  are  released  in  safety  and 
with  propriety  I  shall  hail  it  with  joy.  Redeunt  saturnia 
regna.  In  the  meantime  I  look  to  the  emancipation 
of  the  slaves  as  the  veritable  solution  of  the  problem. 
After  that  is  accomplished  I  care  comparatively  little 
what  may  be  the  determination  of  the  southern  states, 
or  of  then*  people.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Hilton  Head,  S.C.,  August  10,  1862 

AFFAIRS  here  are  as  dull  as  dull  can  be.  We  have  had 
a  little  excitement  about  your  old  friend  the  Fingal, 
which  has  turned  up  in  Savannah  harbor  as  an  iron 
clad  of  much  force,  but  that  seems  to  be  dying  out 
now,  though  I  can't  help  thinking  that  we  shall  some 
day  hear  from  her  when  we  least  expect  or  desire  to. 

General  Hunter's  negro  regiment  was  disbanded  yes 
terday  and  now  they  have  all  dispersed  to  their  old 
homes.  Its  breaking  up  was  hailed  here  with  great  joy, 
for  our  troops  have  become  more  anti-negro  than  I  could 
have  imagined.  But,  for  myself,  I  could  not  help  feel 
ing  a  strong  regret  at  seeing  the  red-legged  darkies 
march  off;  for,  though  I  have  long  known  that  the 
experiment  was  a  failure,  yet  it  was  the  failure  of  an 
other  effort  at  the  education  of  these  poor  people  and 
it  was  the  acknowledgment  of  another  of  those  blun 
ders  which  have  distinguished  all  and  every  our  ex 
periments  on  slavery  throughout  this  war.  When  did 
an  educated  people  ever  bungle  so  in  the  management 
of  a  great  issue!  I  feel  sick  and  almost  discouraged  at 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  175 

what  I  see  and  hear.  What  God  made  plain  we  have 
mixed  up  into  inextricable  confusion.  We  have  had 
declarations  of  emancipation  ingeniously  framed  so  as 
not  to  free  a  slave  and  yet  to  thoroughly  concentrate 
and  inflame  our  enemy.  We  have  wrangled  over  arm 
ing  the  slaves  before  the  slaves  showed  any  disposition 
to  use  the  arms,  and  when  we  have  never  had  in  our 
lives  5000  of  them  who  could  bear  arms.  Why  could 
not  fanatics  be  silent  and  let  Providence  work  for 
awhile.  The  slaves  would  have  moved  when  the  day 
came  and  could  have  been  made  useful  in  a  thousand 
ways.  As  it  is,  we  are  Hamlet's  ape,  who  broke  his 
neck  to  try  conclusions.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

At  Sea,  Steam  Transport  McClellan 
August  22,  1862 

HERE  I  am  at  sea  once  more  and  heading  north,  but 
not  as  I  had  hoped  I  might  be  going  north  about  this 
time,  leaving  this  conflict  literally  settled  behind  me, 
but  only  on  my  way  to  the  dark  and  bloody  ground 
in  Virginia.  Our  regiment  most  unexpectedly  received 
orders  for  the  north  one  day  last  week  at  about  the 
same  time  that  I  received  my  orders  to  report  to  Gen 
eral  Pope.  Accordingly  I  go  north  with  them.  As  to 
my  future,  this  unexpected  change  has  set  it  all  afloat. 
The  war  is  evidently  going  to  continue  some  time 
longer  and  my  regiment  is  now  going  into  active  service. 
Is  it  wise  for  me  now  to  separate  myself  from  a  Massa 
chusetts  regiment,  and  shall  I  not  be  more  useful  where 
I  am  than  on  an  ornamental  staff?  These  reflections 


176  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [AUG.  27, 

puzzle  me  much  and  I  do  not  know  what  will  become 
of  me.  I  shall  try  to  decide  for  the  best  and  I  do  know 
that  we  now  seem  to  be  going  into  the  thick  of  the 
conflict.  .  .  . 

We  left  the  shores  of  South  Carolina  on  Wednesday 
last,  just  seven  months  to  a  day  from  the  time  when 
I  first  set  foot  on  them.  I  don't  think  any  of  us  felt 
much  regret  at  leaving  the  State  and  certainly  none 
of  us  at  leaving  Hilton  Head.  Of  all  the  places  it  has 
ever  been  my  fate  to  set  foot  on  Hilton  Head  is  by 
many  degrees  the  meanest.  Of  Beaufort  and  Port 
Royal  island  I  retain  many  pleasant  memories,  par 
ticularly  of  the  last,  than  which  I  have  never  seen 
a  more  delightful  island.  But  Hilton  Head  —  dust, 
sand,  government  warehouses  and  fleas,  constitute  all 
its  attractions.  Thus  ends  my  first  campaign,  and  has 
n't  it  been  a  failure !  —  a  failure  personally  and  publicly, 
nothing  in  itself  and  leading  to  nothing.  Here  I  am 
just  where  I  was  when  I  started.  I  have  seen  nothing 
but  the  distant  spires  of  Charleston  and  have  not  been 
promoted.  I  have  had  a  bitter  contest  with  my  Cap 
tain  and  seen  little  active  service.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Willard's  Hotel,  Washington 
August  27,  1862 

HERE  I  am  once  more  in  the  city  of  Washington.  Since 
I  last  wrote  the  first  detachment  of  our  regiment  has 
arrived  at  Fortress  Monroe,  and  is  now  in  camp  at 
Acquia  Creek,  while  I  have  come  up  here  to  see  about 
this  business  of  Pope's  staff.  I  find  the  old  city  much 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  177 

as  usual,  but  still  not  the  same.  It  was  indeed  pleasant 
for  me  to  get  here  and  at  least  to  see  something  familiar 
once  more,  and  I  looked  at  all  the  public  buildings  and 
even  at  Willard's  as  at  old  friends.  Once  more  I  have 
really  slept  in  a  bed  and  I  really  never  enjoyed  any 
thing  in  my  life,  in  its  kind,  more  than  the  delicious 
little  supper  which  Gautier  got  up  for  me.  You  don't 
know  how  much  eight  months  of  coarse  fare  improve 
one's  faculties  for  gastronomic  enjoyment,  and  last 
evening  I  experienced  a  new  sensation. 

Here  I  am  though,  and  what  next?  Shall  I  go  onto 
Pope's  staff?  I  think  not.  This  is  a  very  different 
place  from  Hilton  Head  and  here  I  am  learning  many 
strange  things  which  make  me  open  my  eyes  very 
wide,  which  make  me  sorrow  over  our  past  and  do  not 
encourage  me  for  the  future.  Here  I  have  access  to 
certain  means  of  information  and  I  think  I  can  give 
you  a  little  more  light  than  you  now  have.  Do  you 
know  that  just  before  leaving  the  Peninsula  McClellan 
offered  to  march  into  Richmond  on  his  own  responsibil 
ity?  Do  you  know  that  in  the  opinion  of  our  leading 
military  men  Washington  is  in  more  danger  than  it 
ever  yet  has  been?  Do  you  know  that  but  for  McDow 
ell's  jealousy  we  should  have  triumphantly  marched 
into  Richmond?  Do  you  know  that  Pope  is  a  humbug 
and  known  to  be  so  by  those  who  put  him  in  his  pres 
ent  place?  Do  you  know  that  today  he  is  so  com 
pletely  outgeneraled  as  to  be  cut  off  from  Washington? 
Yet  these  are  not  rumors,  but  facts,  doled  out  to  me 
by  members  of  McClellan's  and  Halleck's  staffs. 

Our  rulers  seem  to  me  to  be  crazy.  The  air  of  this  city 


178  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [AUG.  27, 

seems  thick  with  treachery;  our  army  seems  in  danger 
of  utter  demoralization  and  I  have  not  since  the  war 
begun  felt  such  a  tug  on  my  nerves  as  today  in  Wash 
ington.  Everything  is  ripe  for  a  terrible  panic,  the  end 
of  which  I  cannot  see  or  even  imagine.  I  always  mean 
to  be  one  of  the  hopeful,  but  just  now  I  cast  about  in 
vain  for  something  on  which  to  hang  my  hopes.  I  still 
believe  in  McClellan,  but  I  know  that  the  nearest 
advisers  of  the  President  —  among  them  Mr.  Holt  — 
distrust  his  earnestness  in  this  war.  Stanton  is  jealous 
of  him  and  he  and  Pope  are  in  bitter  enmity.  All  pin 
their  hope  on  Halleck  and  we  must  do  as  the  rest  do; 
but  it  is  hinted  to  me  that  Stanton  is  likely  to  be  a 
block  in  Halleck's  way,  and  the  jealousies  of  our  gen 
erals  are  more  than  a  new  man  can  manage.  We  need 
a  head  and  we  must  have  it;  a  man  who  can  keep  these 
jealousies  under  subordination;  and  we  must  have  him 
or  go  to  the  wall.  Is  Halleck  going  to  supply  our 
need?  I  hope  he  is,  but  while  the  question  is  in  doubt 
we  may  lose  Washington.  You  will  think  that  I  am  in 
a  panic  and  the  most  frightened  man  in  Washington. 
I  assure  you  it  is  not  so.  I  do  consider  the  outside  con 
dition  of  affairs  very  critical,  but  it  is  my  glimpse  be 
hind  the  scenes,  the  conviction  that  small  men  with 
selfish  motives  control  the  war  without  any  central 
power  to  keep  them  in  bounds,  which  terrifies  and  dis 
courages  me. 

Take  the  history  of  the  Peninsular  campaign.  My 
authorities  are  one  aid  of  McClellan's  and  Halleck's 
Assistant  Adjutant  General,  but  the  facts  speak  for 
themselves,  and  the  inferences  any  man  may  draw. 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  179 

Stanton,  contrary  to  the  first  principle  of  strategy  and 
for  motives  not  hard  to  comprehend,  divides  Virginia 
into  four  independent  departments.  McClellan  takes 
charge  of  one  and  a  column  is  taken  from  him  to  form 
another  under  charge  of  McDowell.  It  is  solemnly 
promised  McClellan  that  McDowell  shall  join  him  be 
fore  Richmond,  and  meanwhile  he  is  retained  where  he 
is  to  protect  Washington.  Mark  the  result.  McClel 
lan  fights  the  battle  of  Hanover  Court  House,  with  all 
its  loss  of  life  and  time,  simply  to  open  the  road  for 
McDowell  to  join  him  and  he  does  open  it.  McDow 
ell's  advance  guard  hears  his  cannon  on  that  day,  but 
McDowell  does  not  stir,  and  McClellan,  still  looking 
for  him,  forms  that  fatal  Chickahominy  front  of  twenty 
miles.  Doubtless  McDowell  was  kept  back  by  orders, 
but  in  how  far  was  he  instrumental  in  procuring  these 
orders  to  suit  himself?  McClellan's  staff  do  not  hesi 
tate  to  say  that  he  dictated  them  on  pretence  of  danger 
to  Washington,  in  reality  because  his  advance  would 
have  absorbed  his  command  in  that  of  McClellan. 
Take  the  pretence.  Jackson  makes  his  raid  in  the 
valley  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  again  McDowell's  ad 
vance  hears  the  sound  of  his  guns.  Washington  is  in 
danger  now.  As  before  he  does  not  move  and  Jackson 
escapes  and  returns  to  attack  McClellan.  Had  Mc 
Dowell  done  his  duty  either  for  McClellan  or  against 
Jackson,  we  should  now  have  Richmond  and  McClel 
lan  would  now  be  the  conquering  hero.  He  did  neither 
and  is  now  in  disgrace,  as  subordinated  to  Pope;  but 
McClellan  is  not  the  conquering  hero.  Not  half  an 
hour  ago  Halleck's  nephew  and  private  secretary  told 


180  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [AUG.  27. 

me  that  I  could  not  imagine  the  trouble  these  jeal 
ousies  gave  his  uncle.  Said  he,  "McDowell  and  Sigel 
will  not  fight  under  Pope.  McClellan  and  Pope  are  not 
in  sympathy";  and  he  added  an  intimation  that  Mc 
Clellan  was  most  restive  under  Halleck. 

Under  these  circumstances  what  can  we  expect? 
What  can  we  hope  for?  Sigel  stands  well,  but  all  our 
army  officers  are  bitter  and  jealous  against  him.  In 
Burnside  there  is  indeed  hope.  He  has  been  true  and 
generous  and,  what  is  much,  successful.  He  did  not 
hesitate  to  award  to  McClellan  the,  credit  of  planning 
his  Carolina  campaign,  and,  unlike  McDowell,  when 
told  to  send  to  McClellan  all  the  troops  he  could  spare, 
he  at  once  sent  him  twenty-eight  regiments  and  six 
batteries,  leaving  himself  and  the  Major  General  under 
him  some  3000  men  in  all.  We  have  some  grim  old 
fighters  who  do  their  work  and  do  not  scheme.  Such 
they  tell  me  are  Sumner  and  Heintzelman;  but  even  of 
these  the  last  is  outspoken  against  McClellan  because 
he  will  not  fight  with  more  energy.  The  simple  truth  is 
the  man  has  not  come  and  now  we  mean  to  supply  his 
place  with  vast  numbers  of  undrilled  recruits.  Shall 
we  succeed?  You  can  judge  as  well  as  I. 

Thus  the  war  is  gloomily  enough  approaching  its 
last  and  bloodiest  stage.  Unless  Halleck  is  the  man  of 
iron  who  can  rule,  it  will  be  discordant  numbers  against 
compact  strategy.  We  must  face  the  music,  though 
we  do  not  like  the  tune.  .  .  . 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  181 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  JOHN  QUINCY 
ADAMS 

Willard's  Hotel 
Washington,  August  28,  1862 

THINGS  here  look  badly  enough  and  amid  this  atmos 
phere  of  treason,  jealousy  and  dissension,  it  requires 
good  courage  not  to  despair  of  the  republic.  As  I  said, 
I  am  going  back  to  my  regiment  instead  of  onto  Pope's 
staff,  and  you  must  take  it  out  in  cursing  my  insta 
bility.  My  reasons  are  manifold.  The  regiment  and 
Colonel  think  I  ought  to  come  back  or  resign;  we  are 
about  to  see  active  cavalry  service;  and  finally,  be 
tween  ourselves,  I  am  ashamed  at  what  I  hear  of  Pope. 
All  army  officers  say  that  he  is  a  humbug  and  is  sure  to 
come  to  grief;  "as  big  a  liar  as  John  Pope"  is  an  old 
army  expression;  he  has  already  played  himself  out  in 
the  army  of  Virginia  and  he  has  got  himself  into  such 
a  position  that  he  will  be  crushed  and  Washington  lost, 
unless  McClellan  saves  him.  He  may  come  out  with 
colors  flying,  for  he  a  lucky  man;  but  if  he  does,  he  is  a 
dangerous  one,  and  I  am  advised  not  to  connect  my 
fortunes  with  his.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  September  5,  1862 

YOUR  appointment  reached  us  some  time  ago  and  I 
was  rejoiced  at  it,  because  I  think  such  a  place  as  this 
gives  more  room  for  expansion  than  that  of  a  regimen- 


. 
182  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [SEPT.  5. 

tal  officer.  I  doubt  whether  the  atmosphere  of  Lieuten 
ants  is  healthy,  or  of  Captains  or  Majors.  I  think  you 
have  grown  rusty  at  Hilton  Head  and  I  want  to  hear 
more  vigorous  talk.  As  to  your  speculations  about  the 
end  of  the  war  and  a  peace,  I  won't  say  that  I  would  n't 
consent  to  argue  about  it  some  day,  but  you  know 
perfectly  well  that  until  we've  driven  the  South  into 
their  cotton  fields  we  have  no  chance  even  to  offer 
those  terms.  Perhaps  on  the  broad  national  question 
I  look  at  the  matter  differently  from  you.  Apart  from 
other  causes,  I  am  here  in  Europe  and  of  course  am 
influenced  by  European  opinion.  Firmly  convinced  as 
I  am  that  there  can  be  no  peace  on  our  continent  so 
long  as  the  Southern  people  exist,  I  don't  much  care 
whether  they  are  destroyed  by  emancipation,  or  in 
other  words  a  vigorous  system  of  guerilla  war  carried 
on  by  negroes  on  our  side,  or  by  the  slower  and  more 
doubtful  measures  of  choaking  them  with  their  own 
cotton.  Perhaps  before  long  we  shall  have  to  use  both 
weapons  as  vigorously  as  we  are  now  using  the  last. 
But  one  thing  is  clear  to  my  mind,  which  is  that  we 
must  not  let  them  as  an  independent  state  get  the 
monopoly  of  cotton  again,  unless  we  want  to  find  a 
powerful  and  bitterly  hostile  nation  on  our  border,  sup 
ported  by  all  the  moral  and  social  influence  of  Great 
Britain  in  peace;  certain  in  war  to  drag  us  into  all  the 
European  complications;  sure  to  be  in  perpetual  an 
archy  within,'but  always  ready  to  disturb  anything  and 
everything  without;  to  compel  us  to  support  a  stand 
ing  army  no  less  large  than  if  we  conquer  them  and 
hold  them  so,  and  with  infinite  means  of  wounding  and 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  183 

scattering  dissension  among  us.  We  must  ruin  them 
before  we  let  them  go  or  it  will  all  have  to  be  done  over 
again.  And  we  must  exterminate  them  in  the  end,  be  it 
long  or  be  it  short,  for  it  is  a  battle  between  us  and 
slavery. 

I  see  that  your  regiment  is  ordered  to  Virginia  which 
shows  a  gleam  of  reason  in  the  War  Department.  WTiat 
it  was  ever  sent  to  Port  Royal  for,  the  Lord  he  knows. 
At  any  rate,  however,  it  has  spared  you  some  hard 
fighting,  and  with  the  prospect  you  have  now  before 
you,  I  think  you  need  n't  be  sorry  for  that.  For  my 
own  part  I  confess  that  I  value  human  life  at  a  pretty 
low  price,  and  God  knows  I  set  no  higher  value  on  my 
own  than  on  others.  I  always  was  a  good  deal  of  a 
sceptic  and  speculator  in  theories  and  think  precious 
small  potatoes  of  man  in  general  and  myself  in  par 
ticular.  But  I  confess  to  feeling  very  badly  when  the 
news  comes  of  our  disasters  and  losses.  Poor  Stephen 
Perkins.  I  have  a  kind  of  an  idea  that  Stephen 
thought  much  as  I  do  about  life.  He  always  seemed  to 
me  to  take  rather  a  contemptuous  view  of  the  world 
in  general,  and  I  rather  like  to  imagine  him,  after  the 
shock  and  the  pain  was  over,  congratulating  himself 
that  at  last  he  was  through  with  all  the  miseres  of  an 
existence  that  had  bored  him  and  that  offered  him  little 
that  he  cared  for;  and  now  he  could  turn  his  mind  to 
the  exploring  of  a  new  life,  with  new  duties  and  a  new 
career,  after  having  done  all  that  man  can  do  to  dis 
charge  his  debt  to  his  God  and  his  fellow-men  in  the 
old.  There  are  men  enough  in  Europe  who  hold  these 
ideas  with  more  or  less  variation,  but  Stephen  and 


184  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [SEPT.  19, 

perhaps  Arthur  Dexter  are  the  only  ones  among  us 
whom  I  should  call  bitten  with  them  —  with  Stephen, 
his  eyes  excused  them.  With  Arthur,  his  digestion. 

Our  life  here  is  quiet  but  very  busy.  No  more  is 
heard  of  intervention.  Six  hundred  thousand  men 
have  put  an  end  to  that,  and  the  English  think  be 
sides  that  the  South  need  no  help.  Of  late  the  trou 
bles  in  Italy  have  drawn  people's  minds  away  from 
us  and  as  their  harvest  is  very  poor,  our  grain  is  too 
necessary  to  joke  about.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  September  19,  1862 

ENGLAND  is  at  peace,  and  in  spite  of  the  drawback 
occasioned  by  the  failure  of  the  cotton  crop  is  prosper 
ous.  During  the  last  twenty  years  the  great  devel 
opment  of  the  manufacturing  policy  has  poured  vast 
sums  into  her  lap,  whilst  the  outlets  furnished  to  her 
poor  populations  in  the  colonies  and  in  America  have 
prevented  the  growth  of  any  discontent  at  the  unequal 
distribution  of  that  wealth.  In  all  my  different  jour 
neys  through  the  interior  I  find  every  evidence  of  sub 
stantial  thrift.  No  dilapidated  houses,  or  neglected 
lands  or  broken  windows  or  ruinous  barns.  Even  the 
oldest  dwellings  seem  cared  for  and  elaborately  put  in 
order.  The  question  naturally  arises  are  there  no  very 
poor  people?  It  must  be  answered,  not  in  the  agricul 
tural  districts,  but  you  must  look  for  them  in  the  popu 
lous  towns.  Go  through  many  parts  of  London  and 
you  will  be  at  no  loss  to  understand  where  they  are. 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  185 

And  so  it  will  be  in  the  great  manufacturing  centres  in 
Lancashire  and  Yorkshire.  Thus  it  appears  as  ii  Eng 
land  showed  two  distinct  faces  —  one  of  happiness  and 
one  of  misery,  the  first  owing  to  the  last.  For  however 
great  may  be  the  prosperity  of  the  manufacturer,  it 
appears  to  be  resting  only  upon  the  extent  to  which  the 
share  in  it  of  his  operative  can  be  reduced  to  a  mini 
mum.  Were  it  not  for  the  resource  of  emigration  I 
doubt  whether  this  condition  of  things  could  last  long. 
As  it  is,  I  see  no  prospect  of  any  change.  The  rich  are 
growing  richer,  and  conservatism  gains  rather  than 
loses  in  its  struggles  for  power.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  MOTHER 

Sharpsburg,  Md. 
September  25,  1862 

NEXT  morning  my  only  good  horse  was  fairly  done  up 
and  in  the  name  of  humanity  I  had  to  leave  her  at 
Frederick  to  take  my  chance  of  ever  seeing  her  again, 
and  with  her,  as  I  could  not  burden  my  other  horse, 
I  had  to  leave  all  my  baggage  and  left  everything  in 
cluding  my  last  towel,  my  tooth-brush,  my  soap  and 
every  shirt  and  this,  alas !  was  a  fortnight  ago !  As  soon 
as  I  left  her  I  followed  the  regiment  and  had  hardly 
left  the  town  when  the  sound  of  artillery  in  the  front 
admonished  me  that  now  we  were  practically  in  the 
advance.  I  pressed  forward  and  rejoined  the  column 
some  three  miles  from  the  town  at  a  halt  and  with  sharp 
artillery  practice  in  front.  Here  we  stood  three  hours 
resting  by  the  side  of  the  road  and  waiting  for  it  to  be 


186  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [SEPT.  25, 

opened  for  us.  Now  and  then  the  shot  and  shell  flut 
tered  by  us,  reminding  me  of  James  Island.  Some  of 
them  came  disagreeably  near  and  at  last  some  infan 
try  came  up  and  for  a  moment  sat  down  to  rest  with  us. 
I  told  a  Captain  near  me  that  the  enemy  had  a  perfect 
range  of  the  road  and  he'd  better  be  careful  how  he 
drew  their  fire  and  just  as  I  uttered  the  words,  r-r-r-h 
went  a  round  shot  through  the  bushes  over  my  head, 
slid  across  Forbes  and  Caspar  as  they  lay  on  the  ground 
some  thirty  yards  further  on  and  took  off  the  legs  of 
three  infantry  men  next  to  them.  After  that  it  did  n't 
take  long  for  the  infantry  to  deploy  into  the  field  and 
leave  us  in  undisturbed  possession  of  the  road.  Still  the 
infantry  did  it  and  the  enemy  soon  limbered  up  and 
were  off,  having  delayed  our  pursuit  some  three  hours. 
Then  we  followed  and  pushed  over  the  hills  wonder 
ing  at  the  strength  of  the  enemies'  position.  As  we  got 
to  the  top  we  pushed  on  faster  and  faster  until  we  went 
down  the  further  side  at  a  gallop.  The  enemy  were 
close  in  front  and  now  was  the  time.  Soon  we  took  to 
the  fields  and  then,  on  the  slope  of  a  hill,  with  the 
enemy's  artillery  beyond  it,  formed  in  column.  More 
shelling,  more  artillery,  and  the  bullets  sung  over  our 
heads  in  lively  style,  and  then  "  forward"  as  fast  as  we 
could  go,  over  the  hill,  pulling  down  fences,  flounder 
ing  through  ditches,  struggling  to  outflank  them.  But 
the  fences  were  too  much  for  us  and  we  had  to  return 
to  the  road,  all  losing  our  tempers  and  I  all  my  writing 
materials,  the  one  thing  I  had  clung  to.  We  made  the 
road,  however,  in  time  to  witness  some  of  the  humbug 
of  the  war.  As  we  clattered  into  the  town  the  Illinois 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  187 

cavalry,  commanded  by  Colonel  Farnsworth,  not  un 
known  to  my  father,  were  in  front  of  us  and,  having 
hurried  into  the  town  were  cracking  away  with  their 
carbines  and  giving  to  me,  at  least,  the  idea  of  a  sharp 
engagement  in  process.  We  followed  them  and  got  our 
arms  all  ready,  but,  as  I  rode  through  the  single  street  of 
the  pretty  little  town,  a  little  excited  and  pistol  in  hand, 
I  was  somewhat  surprised  at  the  number  of  women 
who  were  waving  their  handkerchiefs,  hailing  us  with 
delight  as  liberators  and  passing  out  water  to  our  sol 
diers.  For  now  we  were  in  the  truly  loyal  part  of 
Maryland  and  everywhere  were  greeted  with  delight. 
It  certainly  did  n't  look  to  me  much  like  a  battle, 
and  yet  there  were  those  carbines  snapping  away  like 
crackers  on  the  4th  of  July.  In  vain  I  looked  for  rebels, 
nary  one  could  I  see  and  at  last  it  dawned  on  my  mind 
that  I  was  in  the  midst  of  a  newspaper  battle  —  "a 
cavalry  charge,"  "a  sharp  skirmish,"  lots  of  glory, 
but  n'ary  reb. 

Here  we  paused,  while  I  thought  we  should  have 
pressed  forward,  and  our  artillery  battered  away  from 
the  hill  to  see  if  any  one  was  there.  Meanwhile  the 
rebels  burned  the  bridge  before  us  and  made  off  for  the 
range  of  hills  on  the  other  side  of  the  valley.  Presently 
we  followed,  forded  the  stream  and  followed  them  up 
the  road,  through  the  most  beautiful  valley  I  ever  saw, 
all  circled  on  three  sides  with  lofty  wooded  ranges  sur 
rounding  a  beautiful  rolling  valley  highly  cultivated 
and  blooming  like  a  garden.  A  blazing  bridge  and  barn 
in  the  middle  of  it  suggested  something  unusual.  We 
hurried  through  the  valley  and  up  the  hills  on  the  other 


188  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [SEPT.  25, 

side  and  there  we  made  a  pause,  brought  to  a  dead 
stand.  It  did  n't  look  like  much,  but  we  did  n't  like 
to  meddle  with  it.  It  was  only  a  single  man  on  horse 
back  in  the  middle  of  the  road  some  few  hundred  yards 
before  us,  but  it  stopped  us  like  a  brick  wall.  We  stood 
on  the  brow  of  one  hill,  with  a  straight  road  running 
through  the  valley  below  and  disappearing  in  a  high 
wooded  range  on  the  other  side.  We  did  n't  know  it 
then,  but  we  were  looking  on  what  next  day  became  the 
battle  field  of  South  Mountain.  In  the  road  belo\Y  us 
were  a  few  rebel  videttes  and  on  the  hill  beyond  were 
posted,  hardly  to  be  distinguishable  even  with  our 
glasses,  a  battery  of  artillery.  We  stood  and  looked 
and  debated  and  at  last  our  leaders  concluded  that  it 
was  n't  healthy  to  go  forward,  and  so  we  went  back. 
We  went  into  camp  on  a  hill-top  and  passed  a  tedious 
night.  It  was  very  cold,  and  we  were  hungry,  but  still 
we  slept  well  and  in  the  morning  feasted  on  an  ox 
we  killed  the  night  before. 

At  seven  o'clock  we  moved  forward  to  our  position 
of  the  day  before,  struggling  along  to  the  front  through 
a  dense  advancing  army  corps.  We  got  there  and  took 
up  our  position  in  support  of  a  battery  and  soon  our 
artillery  opened  and  after  about  an  hour  the  enemy 
began  to  answer.  Presently  we  were  moved  far  to  the 
front  and  of  course  a  blunder  was  made,  and  we  found 
ourselves  drawn  up  in  a  cornfield  in  front  of  our  most 
advanced  battery  and  between  it  and  the  enemy,  with 
the  shells  hurtling  over  us  like  mad,  and  now  and  then 
falling  around  us,  but  fortunately  doing  us  no  harm 
save  ruffling  our  nerves.  Here  we  sat  on  our  horses  for 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  189 

two  hours,  doing  no  good  and  unpleasantly  exposed. 
At  last  we  were  moved  from  there  and  sent  round  to 
our  left  to  support  some  infantry  and  there  we  passed 
the  afternoon,  listening  to  the  crackle  of  musketry  and 
the  roar  of  artillery  till  night,  when  it  ceased  and  the 
men  lay  down  in  ranks  and  slept,  holding  the  bridles  of 
the  horses.  This  was  all  we  saw  of  the  battle  of  South 
Mountain,  which  at  the  time  we  supposed  to  be  a 
heavy  skirmish.  .  .  . 

Here  we  lay  all  that  day  and  I  think  the  next,  with 
a  continual  spattering  of  shells  around,  some  of  which 
injured  other  commands  adjoining  but  all  spared  ours, 
and,  at  last,  one  day  we  were  ordered  early  to  the  rear 
and  we  knew  there  was  to  be  a  big  fight.  Then  came 
the  battle  of  Antietam  Creek  and  we  saw  about  as 
much  of  it  as  of  that  at  South  Mountain.  We  were 
soon  brought  hurriedly  to  the  extreme  front  and  posted 
in  support  of  a  battery  amid  the  heaviest  shelling  and 
cannonade  I  ever  heard.  It  was  a  terrific  artillery  duel, 
which  lasted  where  we  were  all  day  and  injured  almost 
no  one.  At  first,  as  we  took  up  position,  we  lost  a  horse 
or  two,  and  the  storm  of  artillery,  the  crashing  of  shells 
and  the  deep  reverberations  from  the  hills  were  confus 
ing  and  terrifying,  and  yet,  so  well  were  we  posted  and 
so  accustomed  to  it  did  we  become,  that  ten  minutes 
after  the  imminent  danger  was  over  and  we  were  or 
dered  to  dismount,  I  fell  sound  asleep  on  the  grass  and 
my  horse  got  away  from  me. 

In  fact  this  whole  subject  of  battle  is  misunderstood 
at  home.  We  hear  of  the  night  before  battle.  I  have 
seen  three  of  them  and  have  thought  I  saw  half  a 


190          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [SEPT.  26, 

dozen  when  the  battle  did  n't  come  off,  and  I  have 
never  yet  seen  one  when  every  officer  whom  I  saw  did 
not  seem,  not  only  undisturbed,  but  wholly  to  fail  to 
realise  that  any  thing  unusual  was  about  to  occur.  In 
battle  men  are  always  frightened  on  coming  under  fire, 
but  they  soon  get  accustomed  to  it,  if  it  does  little  exe 
cution,  however  heavy  it  may  be.  If  the  execution  is 
heavy  they're  not  nearly  so  apt  to  go  to  sleep,  and  I 
can't  say  I  have  ever  yet  fallen  in  with  that  lust  for 
danger  of  which  I  have  read.  .  ..  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  September  26,  1862 

LATTERLY  indeed  we  have  felt  a  painful  anxiety  for  the 
safety  of  Washington  itself.  For  it  is  very  plain  that 
the  expedition  of  the  rebels  must  have  been  long  medi 
tated,  and  that  it  embraced  a  plan  of  raising  the  stand 
ard  of  revolt  in  Maryland  as  well  as  Pennsylvania.  It 
has  been  intimated  to  me  that  their  emissaries  here 
have  given  out  significant  hints  of  a  design  to  bring  in 
both  those  states  to  their  combination,  which  was 
to  be  executed  about  the  month  of  September.  That 
such  a  scheme  was  imaginable  I  should  have  supposed, 
until  the  occurrence  of  General  Pope's  campaign  and 
the  effects  of  it  as  described  in  your  letter  of  the  29th 
ulto.  .  .  . 

Thus  far  it  has  happened  a  little  fortunately  for  our 
comfort  here  that  most  of  our  reverses  have  been  re 
ported  during  the  most  dead  season  of  the  year,  when 
Parliament  was  not  in  session,  the  Queen  and  Court 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  191 

and  ministry  are  all  away  indulging  in  their  customary 
interval  of  vacation,  and  London  is  said  to  be  wholly 
empty  —  the  two  millions  and  a  half  of  souls  who  show 
themselves  counting  for  nothing  in  comparison  with 
the  hundred  thousand  magnates  that  disappear.  It  is 
however  a  fact  that  the  latter  make  opinion  which 
emanates  mainly  from  the  clubhouses.  Here  the  Lon 
don  Times  is  the  great  oracle,  and  through  this  channel 
its  unworthy  and  degrading  counsels  towards  America 
gain  their  general  currency.  I  am  sorry  for  the  manli 
ness  of  Great  Britain  when  I  observe  the  influence  to 
which  it  has  submitted  itself.  But  there  is  no  help  for 
it  now.  The  die  is  cast,  and  whether  we  gain  or  we  lose 
our  point,  alienation  for  half  a  century  is  the  inevitable 
effect  between  the  two  countries.  The  pressure  of  this 
conviction  always  becomes  greatest  in  our  moments 
of  adversity.  It  is  therefore  lucky  that  it  does  not 
come  when  the  force  of  the  social  combination  is  com 
monly  the  greatest  also.  We  have  thus  been  in  a  great 
degree  free  from  the  necessity  of  witnessing  it  in  so 
ciety  in  any  perceptible  form.  Events  are  travelling  at 
such  a  pace  that  it  is  scarcely  conceivable  to  suppose 
some  termination  or  other  of  this  suspense  is  not  ap 
proaching.  The  South  cannot  uphold  its  slave  system 
much  longer  against  the  gradual  and  certain  under 
mining  of  its  slaveholding  population.  Its  power  of 
endurance  thus  far  has  been  beyond  all  expectation, 
but  there  is  a  term  for  all  things  finite,  and  the  evi 
dences  of  suffering  and  of  exhaustion  thicken.  The 
war  now  swallows  up  the  children  and  the  elders.  And 
when  they  are  drawn  away,  what  becomes  of  the 


192  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [OCT.  17. 

authority  over  the  servants?  It  may  last  a  little  while 
from  the  force  of  habit,  but  in  the  end  it  cannot  fail 
to  be  obliterated.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  October  17,  1862 

GENERAL  MCCLELLAN'S  work  during  the  week  ending 
the  18th  has  done  a  good  deal  to  restore  our  drooping 
credit  here.  Most  of  the  knowing  ones  had  already 
discounted  the  capture  of  Washington  and  the  capitu 
lation  of  the  Free  States.  Some  had  gone  so  far  as  to 
presume  the  establishment  of  Jefferson  Davis  as  the 
President  instead  of  Lincoln.  The  last  number  of  the 
Edinburgh  Review  has  a  wise  prediction  that  this  is 
to  be  effected  by  the  joint  labors  of  the  "mob"  and  of 
" the  merchants"  of  the  city  of  New  York.  This  is  the 
guide  of  English  intelligence  of  the  nature  of  our  strug 
gle.  Of  course  it  follows  that  no  sensible  effect  is  pro 
duced  excepting  from  hard  blows.  If  General  McClel- 
lan  will  only  go  on  and  plant  a  few  more  of  the  same 
kind  in  his  opponent's  eyes,  I  shall  be  his  very  humble 
servant,  for  it  will  raise  us  much  in  the  estimation  of 
all  our  friends.  Mr.  Gladstone  will  cease  to  express 
so  much  admiration  of  Jefferson  Davis,  and  all  other 
things  will  begin  to  flow  smoothly  again. 

We  are  all  very  quietly  at  home.  Last  week  I  made 
a  flying  trip  into  the  north  to  pay  a  visit  to  a  good 
friend  of  America  in  Yorkshire.1  It  gave  me  an  op 
portunity  to  see  a  very  pretty  region  of  country,  and 

1  William  E.  Forster. 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  193 

the  ruins  of  Bolton  Abbey  and  Barden  Towers  in  the 
picturesque  valley  of  the  river  Wharfe.  If  they  only 
had  a  little  more  sunlight,  it  would  be  very  exquisite. 
But  the  excessive  profusion  of  verdure  unrelieved  by 
golden  rays,  and  only  covered  with  a  leaden  sky,  gives 
an  aspect  of  sadness  to  quiet  scenery  which  I  scarcely 
relish.  On  the  whole  I  prefer  the  brilliancy  of  America, 
even  though  it  be  at  the  cost  of  a  browner  surface. 

My  friend  is  a  Colonel  of  a  volunteer  regiment,  after 
the  fashion  of  almost  everybody  here.  For  the  fear 
of  Napoleon  has  made  the  whole  world  turn  soldier. 
Whilst  I  was  with  him  he  had  some  exercise  at  target 
practice  with  two  sections  of  his  riflemen.  I  went  up 
to  witness  it,  and  thought  it  on  the  whole  very  good. 
The  distances  were  three,  four  and  five  hundred  yards. 
The  best  hits  were  nineteen  in  twenty.  Three  tied  at 
eighteen,  and  then  all  the  way  down  to  eleven,  which 
was  the  poorest.  It  seemed  to  me  excellent  practice, 
but  I  do  not  profess  to  be  a  judge.  I  suppose  our  peo 
ple  in  the  army  by  this  time  are  able  to  do  full  as  well 
if  not  better.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  October  24,  1862 

YOUR  account  of  the  campaign  in  Maryland  was  ex 
ceedingly  interesting  to  us  all.  It  contrasted  admirably 
with  those  of  the  newspaper  writers  in  telling  only 
what  you  saw;  whereas  they,  with  far  less  of  opportu 
nity,  undertake  to  say  they  see  many  things  which  did 
not  happen.  I  have  lost  all  confidence  in  any  accounts 


194  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [Nov.  19, 

which  do  not  come  with  responsible  names  attached  to 
them.  I  am  not  sure  since  General  Pope's  time  that 
I  always  credit  official  statements.  His  mistakes  have 
however  had  one  good  effect  in  reducing  the  tone  and 
style  of  our  other  generals.  They  now  do  not  overstate 
their  success,  nor  boast  of  gains  they  have  not  made. 
Still  the  war  drags  on.  I  scarcely  know  what  to  think 
of  the  prospect.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Washington,  D.C.,  November  19,  1862 

I  AM  certainly  very  well  and  in  very  good  spirits,  though 
the  downfall  of  McClellan  was  a  heavy  blow  to  all 
below  the  rank  of  a  General.  The  army  believed  in 
McClellan,  but  the  Generals  are  jealous  and  ambi 
tious  and  little,  and  want  to  get  a  step  themselves,  so 
they  are  willing  to  see  him  pulled  down.  We  believed 
in  him,  not  as  a  brilliant  commander,  but  as  a  prudent 
one  and  one  who  was  gradually  learning  how  to  handle 
our  immense  army,  and  now  a  new  man  must  learn  and 
he  must  learn  by  his  own  mistakes  and  in  the  blood  of 
the  army.  It  is  all  for  the  best  and  the  Lord  will  in  his 
own  good  time  bear  witness  for  us;  but  oh !  the  blunders 
and  humbug  of  this  war,  the  folly,  treachery,  incom 
petence  and  lying! ! !  They  tell  me  here  that  Halleck 
is  a  very  strong  man,  and  that  his  touch  is  already  felt 
in  the  West  and  soon  will  be  in  the  East,  and  that  the 
winter  will  restore  our  fortunes.  I  hope  it  may  prove 
so,  but  my  theory  is  that  there  will  be  much  more 
fighting  this  year  in  Virginia,  but  that  while  we  are 


GEORGE  BRINTON  McCLELLAN 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  195 

to  hold  the  enemy  here,  the  war  is  to  rage  on  the 
Mississippi  and  the  sea-board.  But  who  knows  —  not 
I.  Keep  up  your  heart. 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  November  21,  1862 

MY  work  is  now  limited  to  a  careful  observation  of 
events  here  and  assistance  in  the  manual  labor  of  the 
place,  and  to  a  study  of  history  and  politics  which 
seem  to  me  most  necessary  to  our  country  for  the  next 
century.  The  future  is  a  blank  to  me  as  I  suppose  it  is 
also  to  you.  I  have  no  plans  nor  can  have  any,  so  long 
as  my  course  is  tied  to  that  of  the  Chief.  Should  you 
at  the  end  of  the  war,  wish  to  take  my  place,  in  case 
the  services  of  one  of  us  were  still  required,  I  should  re 
turn  to  Boston  and  Horace  Gray,  and  I  really  do  not 
know  whether  I  should  regret  the  change.  The  truth 
is,  the  experience  of  four  years  has  done  little  towards 
giving  me  confidence  in  myself.  The  more  I  see,  the 
more  I  am  convinced  that  a  man  whose  mind  is  bal 
anced  like  mine,  in  such  a  way  that  what  is  evil  never 
seems  unmixed  with  good,  and  what  is  good  always 
streaked  with  evil;  an  object  seems  never  important 
enough  to  call  out  strong  energies  till  they  are  ex 
hausted,  nor  necessary  enough  not  to  allow  of  its  fail 
ure  being  possible  to  retrieve;  in  short,  a  mind  which 
is  not  strongly  positive  and  absolute,  cannot  be  steadily 
successful  in  action,  which  requires  quietness  and  per 
severance.  I  have  steadily  lost  faith  in  myself  ever 
since  I  left  college,  and  my  aim  is  now  so  indefinite  that 


196  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [Nov.  21. 

all  my  time  may  prove  to  have  been  wasted,  and  then 
nothing  left  but  a  truncated  life. 

I  should  care  the  less  for  all  this  if  I  could  see  your 
path  any  clearer,  but  while  my  time  may  prove  to  have 
been  wasted,  I  don't  see  but  what  yours  must  prove  so. 
At  least  God  forbid  that  you  should  remain  an  officer 
longer  than  is  necessary.  And  what  then?  The  West 
is  possible;  indeed,  I  have  thought  of  that  myself. 
But  what  we  want  is  a  school.  We  want  a  national  set 
of  young  men  like  ourselves  or  better,  to  start  new 
influences  not  only  in  politics,  but  in  literature,  in 
law,  in  society,  and  throughout  the  whole  social  or 
ganism  of  the  country  —  a  national  school  of  our  own 
generation.  And  that  is  what  America  has  no  power 
to  create.  In  England  the  Universities  centralize 
ability  and  London  gives  a  field.  So  in  France,  Paris 
encourages  and  combines  these  influences.  But  with 
us,  we  should  need  at  least  six  perfect  geniuses  placed, 
or  rather,  spotted  over  the  country  and  all  working 
together;  whereas  our  generation  as  yet  has  not  pro 
duced  one  nor  the  promise  of  one.  It's  all  random,  in 
sulated  work,  for  special  and  temporary  and  personal 
purposes,  and  we  have  no  means,  power  or  hope  of 
combined  action  for  any  unselfish  end. 

One  man  who  has  real  ability  may  do  a  great  deal, 
but  we  ought  to  have  a  more  concentrated  power  of 
influence  than  any  that  now  exists. 

For  the  present  war  I  have  nothing  to  say.  WTe  re 
ceived  cheerful  letters  from  you  and  John  today,  and 
now  we  have  the  news  of  McClellan's  removal.  As 
I  do  not  believe  in  Burnside's  genius,  I  do  not  feel 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  197 

encouraged  by  this,  especially  as  it  shakes  our  whole 
structure  to  its  centre.  I  have  given  up  the  war  and 
only  pray  for  its  end.  The  South  has  vindicated  its 
position  and  we  cannot  help  it,  so,  as  we  can  find  no 
one  to  lead  us  and  no  one  to  hold  us  together,  I  don't 
see  the  use  of  our  shedding  more  blood.  Still  all  this 
makes  able  men  a  necessity  for  the  future,  and  if 
you're  an  able  man,  there's  your  career.  I  have  proj 
ects  enough  and  not  unpromising  ones  for  some  day, 
but  like  most  of  my  combinations,  I  suppose  they  '11 
all  end  in  dust  and  ashes. 

We  are  very  comfortable  here  in  London  fog.  Some 
sharp  diplomatic  practice,  but,  I  hope,  not  very  seri 
ous.  People  don't  overwhelm  us  with  attentions,  but 
that  is  excusable. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  JOHN  QUINCY 
ADAMS 

Potomac  Bridge,  Virginia 
November  28,  1862 

HERE  we  are  back  with  the  Brigade  at  last.  I  hope  you 
yesterday  remembered  us  at  home  in  your  cups,  for  not 
a  drop  to  drink,  save  water,  had  we,  and  our  eating  was 
of  the  toughest  and  slimmest.  Here  we  are  though, 
through  mud  and  mire  and  rain,  up  with  the  army 
at  last.  A  winter  campaign  here,  by  the  way,  is  just 
impossible,  no  more  and  no  less,  and  you  who  sit  so 
snugly  at  home  by  the  fire  and  round  the  hearth,  and 
discuss  our  laziness  in  not  pressing  on,  may  as  well  dry 
up.  We  will  allow  everything  to  please  you,  waste 
of  life,  loss  of  labor,  extreme  exposure  without  tents, 


198  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [Nov.  so, 

existence  in  a  f  oodless  country  and  all  you  will,  and  yet 
any  movement  is  just  simply  impossible  on  account  of 
mud.  Horses  can't  walk,  artillery  can't  be  hauled,  and 
ammunition  can't  be  carried  through  this  country  after 
this  season.  Of  course,  we  don't  expect  to  get  any 
forage,  rations  or  tents  through,  but  it  is  simply  im 
possible  to  go  ahead  and  carry  the  arms  and  ammuni 
tion  to  enable  us  to  fight,  though  we  should  consent 
to  starve  and  freeze  cheerfully.  So  I  look  on  it  after 
the  experience  of  a  few  days'  march.  I  may  be  wrong 
and  hope  I  am.  But  Lord!  how  it  vexes  and  amuses 
me  to  think  how  easy  it  is,  after  a  full  dinner,  to  sip 
your  wine  in  the  gas  light,  and  look  severely  into  a  fine 
fire  across  the  table,  and  criticise  and  find  fault  with 
us  poor  devils,  at  that  very  time  preparing  to  lie  down 
before  our  fires,  mud  to  the  middle,  wet  through,  after 
a  fine  meal  of  hard  bread  and  water,  and  with  nothing 
between  us  and  the  sky  but  November  clouds.  I  don't 
complain  of  these  little  incidents  of  our  life  myself,  and 
only  I  do  wish  they  found  less  fault  at  home.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Potomac  Bridge,  near  Falmouth,  Va. 
November  30,  1862 

HERE  we  are  once  more  with  the  army,  but  not  on 
the  move.  We  passed  six  days  in  Washington  and  it 
stormed  the  whole  time,  varying  from  a  heavy  Scotch 
mist  to  a  drenching  rain.  Our  camp  was  deep  in 
mud,  at  times  a  brook  was  running  through  my  tent, 
and  altogether  we  were  most  unfortunate  as  regarded 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  199 

weather.  Still  we  succeeded  in  completing  our  equip 
ment  and  I  started  out  on  our  new  campaign  toler 
ably  prepared  to  be  comfortable  in  future.  Nor  did  I, 
I  am  glad  to  say,  waste  my  time  while  there,  but  I  fed 
on  the  fat  of  the  land,  feasting  daily,  without  regard 
to  expense,  at  Buhler's.  I  no  longer  wonder  at  sailors' 
runs  on  shore.  Months  of  abstinence  and  coarse  fare, 
cooked  anyhow  and  eaten  anywhere  off  anything,  cer 
tainly  lead  to  an  acute  appreciation  of  the  luxuries  of 
city  life.  It  seems  to  me  now  as  if  I  could  n't  enjoy 
them  enough.  While  here  I  saw  Aunt  Mary  repeatedly 
and  she  seems  much  the  same  as  ever.  She  was  very 
kind  and  hospitable.  I  also  saw  Governor  Seward  for 
an  instant.  He  invited  me  to  dinner  and  was  very 
cordial;  but  he  looks  pale,  old  and  careworn,  and  it 
distressed  me  to  see  him. 

Here  we  remained  till  Friday  evening,  on  which  day 
the  two  Majors  and  myself  succeeded  in  getting  paid 
off,  after  immense  exertion  and  many  refusals,  when 
we  had  our  last  dinner  at  Buhler's  and  on  Saturday, 
when  we  saw  the  sun  for  the  first  time  for  a  week,  we 
struck  camp  and  moved  over  to  Alexandria,  on  our  way 
to  join  the  brigade.  We  got  into  Alexandria  by  two 
o'clock  and  \v  ent  into  camp  on  a  cold,  windy  hill-side. 
We  were  under  orders  to  join  our  brigade  at  Manassas, 
but  when  we  got  to  Alexandria  we  found  Manassas 
in  the  possession  of  the  enemy  and  we  did  not  care  to 
report  to  them.  Accordingly  we  sent  back  for  orders 
and  passed  Sunday  in  camp,  a  cold,  blustering,  raw 
November  day,  overcast  and  disagreeable.  The  damp 
and  wet,  combined  with  the  high  living  at  Washington, 


200  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [Nov.  so, 

had  started  my  previous  health,  and  now  I  not  only 
wasn't  well,  but  was  decidedly  sick  and  lived  on 
opium  and  brandy.  In  fact  I  am  hardly  well  yet  and 
my  disorder  followed  me  all  through  our  coming  march. 
Sunday  afternoon  we  got  our  orders  to  press  on  and 
join  the  brigade  at  the  earliest  possible  moment  near 
Falmouth,  so  Monday  morning  we  again  struck  camp 
and  set  forth  for  Falmouth.  It  was  a  very  fine  day 
indeed,  but  the  weather  is  not  what  it  was  and  the 
country  through  which  we  passed  is  sadly  war-smitten. 
The  sun  was  bright,  but  the  long  rains  had  reduced  the 
roads  almost  to  a  mire  and  a  sharp  cold  wind  all  day 
made  overcoats  pleasant  and  reminded  us  how  near  we 
were  to  winter.  Our  road  lay  along  in  sight  of  Mt.  Ver- 
non  and  was  a  picture  of  desolation  —  the  inhabitants 
few,  primitive  and  ignorant,  houses  deserted  and  going 
to  ruin,  fences  down,  plantations  overgrown,  and  every 
thing  indicating  a  decaying  country  finally  ruined  by 
war.  On  our  second  day's  march  we  passed  through 
Dumfries,  once  a  flourishing  town  and  port  of  entry, 
now  the  most  God-forsaken  village  I  ever  saw.  There 
were  large  houses  with  tumbled  down  stairways,  pub 
lic  building*  completely  in  ruins,  more  than  half  the 
houses  deserted  and  tumbling  to  pieces,  not  one  in 
repair  and  even  the  inhabitants,  as  dirty,  lazy  and 
rough  they  stared  at  us  with  a  sort  of  apathetic  hate, 
seemed  relapsing  into  barbarism.  It  maybe  the  season, 
or  it  may  be  the  war;  but  for  some  reason  this  part  of 
Virginia  impresses  me  with  a  sense  of  hopeless  deca 
dence,  a  spiritless  decay -both  of  land  and  people,  such 
as  I  never  experienced  before.  The  very  dogs  are  curs 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  201 

and  the  women  and  children,  with  their  long,  blousy, 
uncombed  hair,  seem  the  proper  inmates  of  the  delapi- 
dated  log  cabins  which  they  hold  in  common  with  the 
long-nosed,  lank  Virginia  swine. 

To  go  back  to  our  march  however.  Our  wagons 
toiled  wearily  along  and  sunset  found  us  only  sixteen 
miles  from  Alexandria,  and  there  we  camped.  During 
the  latter  part  of  the  day  I  was  all  alone  riding  to  and 
fro  between  the  baggage  train  and  the  column.  I  felt 
by  no  means  well  and  cross  with  opium.  It  was  a  cold, 
clear,  November  evening,  with  a  cold,  red,  western 
sky  and,  chilled  through,  with  a  prospect  of  only  a 
supperless  bivouac,  a  stronger  home  feeling  came  over 
me  than  I  have  often  felt  before,  and  I  did  sadly  dwell 
in  my  imagination  on  the  intense  comfort  there  is  in 
a  thoroughly  warm,  well-lighted  room  and  well-spread 
table  after  a  long  cold  ride.  However  I  got  into  camp 
before  it  was  dark  and  here  things  were  not  so  bad. 
The  wind  was  all  down,  the  fires  were  blazing  and  we 
had  the  elements  of  comfort.  The  soup  Lou  sent  me 
supplied  me  with  a  hot  supper  —  in  fact  I  don't  know 
what  I  should  have  done  if  it  had  not  been  for  that, 
through  this  dreary  march ;  and  after  that  I  spread  my 
blankets  on  a  bed  of  fir-branches  close  to  the  fire  and 
slept  as  serenely  as  man  could  desire  to  sleep. 

The  next  morning  the  weather  changed  and  it  gradu 
ally  grew  warmer  and  more  cloudy  all  day.  Our  road 
lay  through  Dumfries  and  became  worse  and  worse  as 
we  pushed  along,  until  after  making  only  eight  miles, 
we  despaired  of  our  train  getting  along  and  turned 
into  an  orchard  in  front  of  a  deserted  plantation  house 


202  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [Nov.  30. 

and  there  camped.  Our  wagons  in  fact  did  get  stuck 
and  passed  the  night  two  miles  back  on  the  road, 
while  we  built  our  fires  and  made  haste  to  stretch  our 
blankets  against  the  rain.  It  rained  hard  all  night,  but 
we  had  firewood  and  straw  in  plenty,  and  again  I 
slept  as  well  as  I  wish  to.  Next  day  the  wagons  did 
not  get  up  until  noon  and  it  was  two  o'clock  before 
we  started.  Then  we  pushed  forward  until  nearly  dark. 
An  hour  before  sunset  we  came  up  with  the  flank  of  the 
army  resting  on  Acquia  Creek.  We  floundered  along 
through  the  deep  red-mud  roads  till  nearly  dark  and 
then,  having  made  some  five  miles,  turned  into  a  beau 
tiful  camping  ground,  where  we  once  more  bivouacked. 
One  thing  surprises  me  very  much  and  that  is  the  very 
slight  hardship  and  exposure  of  the  bivouac.  Except 
in  rains  tents  are  wholly  unnecessary  —  articles  of 
luxury.  Here,  the  night  before  Thanksgiving  and  cold 
at  that,  I  slept  as  soundly  and  warmly  before  our  fire 
as  I  could  have  done  in  bed  at  home.  The  reason  is 
plain.  In  a  tent  one,  more  or  less,  tries  to  undress; 
in  the  bivouac  one  rolls  himself,  boots,  overcoat  and 
all,  with  the  cape  thrown  over  his  head,  in  his  blankets 
with  his  feet  to  the  fire,  which  keeps  them  warm  and 
dry,  and  then  the  rest  will  not  trouble  him.  A  tent  is 
usually  equally  cold  and  also  very  damp. 

The  next  day  was  Thanksgiving  Day  —  27th  No 
vember.  It  was  a  fine  clear  day,  with  a  sharp  chill 
in  the  little  wind  which  was  stirring.  I  left  the  column 
and  rode  forward  to  General  Hooker's  Head  Quarters 
through  the  worst  roads  I  ever  saw,  in  which  our  empty 
wagons  could  hardly  make  two  miles  an  hour.  I  saw 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  203 

General  Hooker  and  learnt  the  situation  of  our  brigade, 
and  here  too  we  came  up  with  our  other  battalion.  We 
passed  them  however  and  came  over  here  to  our  pres 
ent  camp,  where  we  have  pitched  our  tents  and  made 
ourselves  as  comfortable  as  we  can  while  we  await  the 
course  of  events. 

As  to  the  future,  you  can  judge  better  than  I.  I  have 
no  idea  that  a  winter  campaign  is  possible  in  Virginia. 
The  mud  is  measured  already  by  feet,  and  the  rains 
have  hardly  begun.  The  country  is  thoroughly  ex 
hausted  and  while  horses  can  scarcely  get  along  alone, 
they  can  hardly  succeed  in  drawing  the  immense  sup 
ply  and  ammunition  trains  necessary  for  so  large  an 
army,  to  say  nothing  of  the  artillery  which  will  be  stuck 
fast.  The  country  may  demand  activity  on  our  part, 
but  mud  is  more  obdurate  than  popular  opinion,  and 
active  operations  here  I  cannot  but  consider  as  closed 
for  the  season.  As  to  the  army,  I  see  little  of  my  part 
of  it  but  my  own  regiment.  I  think  myself  it  is  tired  of 
motion  and  wants  to  go  to  sleep  until  the  spring.  The 
autumn  is  depressing  and  winter  hardships  are  severe 
enough  in  the  most  comfortable  of  camps.  Winter 
campaigns  may  be  possible  in  Europe,  a  thickly  peo 
pled  country  of  fine  roads,  but  in  this  region  of  mud, 
desolation  and  immense  distances,  it  is  another  matter. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  MOTHER 

Potomac  Run,  near  Falmouth,  Va. 
December  9,  1862 

AFTER  a  day  or  night  of  duty,  it  is  strange  what  a  sense 
of  home  and  home  comfort  one  attaches  to  the  bivouac 


204  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS        [DEC.  9, 

fire.  You  come  in  cold,  hungry  and  tired  and  I  assure 
you  all  the  luxuries  of  home  scarcely  seem  desirable 
beside  its  bright  blaze,  as  you  polish  off  a  hot  supper. 
And  such  suppers!  You've  no  idea  how  well  we  live, 
now  we  've  added  experience  to  hunger.  This  evening, 
I  remember,  I  had  army-bread  fried  in  pork  —  and 
some  day  I'll  let  you  know  what  can  be  made  of  that 
dish  —  hot  coffee,  delicate  young  roast  pig,  beefsteak 
and  an  arrangement  of  cabbage,  from  the  tenement  of 
a  neighboring  mud-sill.  This,  with  a  pipe  of  tobacco, 
a  bunk  of  fir  branches  well  lined  with  blankets  and  a 
crackling  fire  before  it  left  little  to  be  desired.  There  is 
a  wild  luxury  about  it,  very  fascinating  to  me,  though 
I  never  realise  the  presence  of  danger  and  that  excite 
ment  which  some  men  derive  from  that;  to  me  camp 
always  seems  perfectly  secure  and  my  horses  kick  and 
champ  on  the  other  side  of  my  fire,  and  my  arms  hang 
on  the  ridge  of  my  bunk,  practically  as  little  thought  of 
by  me  as  though  the  one  were  in  the  stable  at  Quincy, 
and  the  other  hanging  over  my  mantelpiece  in  Boston. 
My  enjoyment  springs  from  the  open  air  sense  of  free 
dom  and  strength.  It's  a  lawless  sort  of  feeling,  mak 
ing  me  feel  as  if  I  depended  only  on  nature  and  myself 
for  enjoyment. 

This  is  all  very  well  when  the  weather  is  fine,  even 
in  December;  but  next  morning  a  change  came  o'er  me, 
for  early  in  the  morning  it  began  to  rain  and  snow  and, 
by  the  time  we  were  relieved,  at  noon  it  snowed  most 
heartily,  so  that  I  sincerely  pitied  the  miserable  crea 
tures  who  relieved  us.  Home  we  rode,  wet  and  cold, 
and  as  I  walked  sulkily  along,  I  tried  to  think  of  one 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  205 

crumb  of  comfort  awaiting  me  when  I  got  back  into 
camp.  I  could  n't  think  of  one,  unless  indeed  the  com 
missary  might  have  procured  some  whiskey.  Wrong 
again!  I  got  into  camp  and  found  Colonel  Sargent 
there  with  three  companies  from  Hooker's  head-quar 
ters  and  things  looked  lively  enough,  though  far  from 
cheerful,  and  as  luck  would  have  it  Henry  Davis  was 
there,  established  in  the  midst  of  discomfort  in  his 
usual  comfort.  So  I  passed  the  evening  with  him, 
cursing  Colonel (in  which  chorus  we  all  unani 
mously  concur) ,  smoking  the  best  of  tobacco,  drinking 
hot  whiskey  punch  and  eating  plum-cake  fresh  from 
Washington.  .  .  . 

The  next  time  Henry  passes  a  bookstore  let  him 
stop  and  buy  for  her  [Mary]  a  little  volume  called 
"Ten  Years  of  Soldiers'  Life  in  India."  It  contains  the 
life  of  Major  Hodson  taken  from  his  own  letters  and  is 
one  of  the  most  touching  and  charming  books  of  these 
later  days,  to  say  nothing  of  the  character  of  Hodson 
himself  —  my  ideal  of  a  Christian  gentleman  and  sol 
dier.  I  wonder  none  of  you  ever  heard  of  him. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

In  the  woods,  near  Falmouth,  Va. 
December  15,  1862 

MY  DEAR  MOTHER: 

Potomac  Run,  Va. 
December  21,  1862 

MY  DEAR  FATHER: 

I  LEAVE  the  above  heading  to  my  letter  for  two  reasons. 
In  the  first  place  to  show  you  that  I  did  n't  forget  you 
while  we  were  at  the  front;  and  in  the  second  because 


206  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [DEC.  21, 

this  is  my  last  sheet  of  paper  and  when  this  is  gone  I 
must  borrow  or  be  silent. 

My  last  was  written  on  Tuesday  the  9th  and  while 
we  were  under  orders  for  the  front.  The  orders  how 
ever  did  not  come  until  Thursday  and  on  Wednesday 
we  had  nothing  to  contend  with  but  our  new  Colonel. 
He,  however,  was  a  host  in  himself  and  worried  us  very 
thoroughly.  You've  no  idea  what  a  nuisance  such  an 

ass  as is  at  the  head  of  a  regiment.   Ignorant  to 

the  last  degree  of  his  supposed  profession,  his  ignorance 
is  only  surpassed  by  his  conceit  and  vanity  and  his  love 
of  display.  He  has  two  and  only  two  of  the  qualities  of 
an  officer  of  cavalry:  he  is  a  good  and  daring  horseman 
and  a  man  of  great  personal  courage.  At  the  same  time 
he  is  the  most  cruel  man  on  horses  I  ever  saw  in  my 
life,  and  his  courage,  combined  with  his  plenteous  lack 
of  judgment,  only  endangers  the  lives  of  those  under 
his  command.  He  prides  himself  on  being  a  disciplin 
arian,  knowing  nothing  of  discipline,  and  so  wears  out 
his  officers  and  men  by  an  inordinate  attention  to  use 
less  trifles.  He  considers  himself  a  tactician  and  yet 
he  could  not  drill  a  corporal's  guard  without  making 
ludicrous  blunders.  His  mistakes  on  the  drill  ground, 
his  theories  of  war  and  his  absurdities  in  camp  are,  as 
John  will  tell  you,  the  laughing  stock  of  the  regiment. 
He  is  universally  disliked  as  well  as  ridiculed.  He  has 
already  cost  us  the  best  officers  in  our  regiment,  and  we 
all  fear  that  he  will  ultimately  ruin  it.  We  of  course 
can  do  nothing,  but  I  assure  you  we'keep  up  a  devil  of 
a  thinking.  This  particular  day  certain  horses  were  to 
be  condemned  and  he  nearly  drove  the  commanders  of 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  207 

companies  wild.  Their  horses  were  led  out  and  then 
led  back  again,  and  then  led  out  and  kept  standing. 
Then  some  blanks  were  made  out  and  then  some  more 
horses  were  ordered  out,  and  then  some  were  inspected 
and  ordered  to  be  shot  or  turned  over  to  the  Quarter 
Master,  and  then  some  messages  were  sent  round  and 
then  we  were  ordered  to  pick  out  our  worst  horses 
to  hand  over  to  another  regiment,  and  the  Majors 
laughed  and  cursed,  and  the  Captains  cursed  and  swore, 
and  the  men  grumbled  and  looked  sullen,  and  he 
strutted  round,  overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of  his  own 
importance  and  utterly  unaware  with  what  a  hearty 
contempt  the  general  camp,  pioneers  and  all,  were 
cursing  him  and  laughing  at  him.  We  see  how  ridicu 
lous  he  makes  us  in  the  army  and  what  a  tool  he  be 
comes  in  the  hands  of  others;  and  yet,  discuss  it  as  we 
will  among  ourselves,  to  the  world  we  must  put  our 
tongues  between  our  teeth  and  bear  it  as  best  we  may. 
As  for  me,  I  have  no  great  trouble  with  him.  I  am  in 
command  of  my  company  and  go  near  him  only  when 
I  can't  help  doing  so.  My  company  is  a  very  good  one 
and  so  I'm  not  often  drawn  into  scrapes.  .  .  . 

Early  Thursday  morning,  clear  and  cold,  the  brigade 
got  into  line  and  began  to  advance  to  the  front.  While 
we  were  at  the  stable  call  a  heavy  cannonade  had 
opened  towards  Fredericksburg  and  it  was  clear  that 
work  was  before  some  one.  Our  column  was  not 
formed  until  nine  o'clock  and  then  we  began  to  move 
towards  the  front,  but  very  slowly.  It  was  at  first  very 
cold,  and  our  fingers  and  feet  felt  it  sharply;  but  as  the 
sun  rose  this  passed  away  and  the  weather  moderated. 


208  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [DEC.  21, 

Then  the  battery  in  front  of  us  got  stuck  and  delayed 
us  an  hour,  during  which  we  listened  to  the  firing  and 
discussed  the  prospects.  For,  instead  of  going  out  to 
operate  on  the  right  flank  as  we  had  expected,  it  was 
now  clear  that  we  were  going  straight  towards  Fred- 
ericksburg.  Finally  we  passed  the  battery  by  a  path 
through  the  woods,  leaving  it  fairly  mired  and  then 
pushed  rapidly  forward.  Presently  we  came  to  a  large 
field,  about  I  should  say  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the 
point  of  cannonading,  and  there  the  brigade  drew  up, 
dismounted  and  began  to  wait.  Around  us  were  de 
serted  infantry  camps.  On  our  left,  on  a  rising  ground, 
was  an  infantry  line  of  battle,  beyond  and  above  them 
was  a  cloud  of  white  smoke,  and  this  was  all  I  saw  of 
Thursday's  fighting. 

For  ourselves,  we  waited.  The  warm  sun  had  started 
the  frost  and  converted  our  field  into  a  fine  mire,  and  in 
that  we  stood  from  eleven  o'clock  to  sunset.  As  long 
as  I  could  I  stood  by  my  horse  and  eat  hard-bread  and 
smoked.  When  that  was  played  out,  I  found  the  driest 
place  I  could,  spread  the  cape  of  my  overcoat  on  the 
mud,  laid  down  on  it  and  went  to  sleep.  So  the  day 
passed  tediously  and  disagreeably  away.  Rumors  of 
doings  at  the  front  reached  us  from  time  to  time;  our 
pontoons  were  knocked  to  pieces  and  the  engineers 
killed  and  we  were  not  getting  ahead  very  fast.  Fi 
nally  it  became  clear  that  we  were  to  do  nothing  that 
day,  so  we  watered  our  horses  and  presently  the 
column  started  for  a  camp.  It  was  dark  before  we 
reached  it,  but  finally  we  found  ourselves  packed  away 
in  a  pine  wood,  full  of  camp  fires  and  pine  smoke.  I 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  209 

have  ceased  to  be  a  believer  in  any  necessity  for  dis 
comfort  under  any  circumstances.  On  this  occasion 
Davis  and  I  at  eight  o'clock,  with  the  horses  groomed 
and  fed,  had  had  a  very  comfortable  supper  ourselves 
and  then  with  blankets  unrolled  were  lying  before  our 
fire  and  smoking  the  pipe  of  great  content.  The  weather 
too  had  moderated  and  though  it  froze  stiff  during  the 
night,  in  the  woods  we  rolled  ourselves  in  our  blankets 
and  were  as  comfortable  as  need  be. 

Friday  the  12th,  instead  of  moving  as  was  expected, 
we  lay  all  the  morning  in  the  camp,  listening  to  the 
artillery  firing  which  still  continued,  but  we  noticed 
no  musketry.  The  day  was  warm  and  bright  and  we 
found  picnicing  in  the  woods  in  December  not  so  bad. 
To  be  sure  the  Colonel  worried  the  officers  all  he  could 
—  among  other  trifles  in  one  morning  threatening  the 
Lieutenant  Colonel,  Major  and  Adjutant  with  arrest; 
but  I  was  fortunately  at  the  extreme  further  end  of  the 
camp  and  took  good  care  not  to  lessen  my  distance. 
As  it  was  I  began  to  enjoy  myself  very  much.  I  am 
growing  more  and  more  attached  to  out  of  door  life, 
so  that  it  is  pleasant  even  in  December.  We  found  that 
our  camp  was  most  prettily  situated  in  a  little  strip  of 
pine  wood  surrounding  a  little  hollow  in  which  the  4th 
Pennsylvania  was  encamped.  The  weather  was  delight 
ful  arid  we  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  while  away  the 
time  watching  our  neighbors  and  listening  to  the  can 
nonade.  The  Pennsylvanians  were  a  source  of  endless 
delight  to  Davis  and  myself  —  they  were  so  ragged,  so 
independent,  and  so  very  peculiar.  No  officers  trou 
bled  their  repose,  and  stable  calls  worried  them  not. 


210  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [DEC.  21, 

They  were  grave  and  elderly  men  and  very,  very  old 
campaigners.  They  were  curiously  clad  in  defiance  of 
all  rule  whether  military  or  civil,  and  we  pondered  long 
as  to  where  they  could  have  got  their  clothes,  until 
Davis  happily  suggested  that,  having  all  started  as 
civilians,  they  had  been  picking  up  old  soldier  clothes 
ever  since,  until  they  had  arrived  at  their  present  de 
gree  of  uniformity.  They  had  strange  ways  of  leaving 
camp  whenever  they  saw  fit  and  returning  ladened 
with  well  filled  haversacks;  whereat  the  faces  of  their 
comrades  would  light  up  with  grim  satisfaction.  Water 
they  had  not  now  and  soap  they  had  evidently  never 
known;  but  they  were  old  soldiers,  for  they  cooked 
strange  messes  and  when  boots  and  saddles  sounded, 
undisturbed  by  the  cannonade  they  would  saddle  their 
horses  carefully,  slowly  and  meditatively,  evidently 
with  respect  for  the  beast  if  not  in  the  fear  of  God. 
They  compared  so  curiously  with  our  own  men  so  com 
paratively  young,  clean  and  well  dressed,  full  of  intelli 
gence  and  yet  subject  to  such  rigid  and  never  ending 
discipline.  Then  as  the  afternoon  crept  on  the  most 
beautiful  lights  and  shadows  I  ever  saw  crept  over  the 
little  hollow  in  which  our  friends  were  encamped,  the 
smoke  of  the  camp  fires  rising  among  the  pines,  while 
the  sunlight  played  round  the  horses  and  riders  among 
them  gave  effects  which  in  pictures  we  should  declare 
unnatural.  At  two  o'clock  orders  came  for  us  to  saddle. 
We  did  so  and  got  all  ready  to  start  and  then,  anxious 
and  waiting  for  orders,  we  killed  away  the  time  until 
dusk,  when  again  we  watered  and  unsaddled,  and 
again  Davis  and  I  after  a  comfortable  supper  lay 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  211 

before  our  fire  enjoying  the  charms  of  tobacco  and 
December  moonlight. 

Saturday  the  13th,  we  did  not  change  our  position 
at  all,  but,  as  before,  our  horses  were  kept  saddled  the 
greater  part  of  the  day;  but  learning  by  experience 
I  made  myself  comfortaole,  reading  Holmes  and  ob 
serving  the  preparation  of  our  dinner.  Still,  at  best, 
this  comfort  was  a  very  relative  term  that  day,  for  all 
day  long,  from  before  day-break  to  long  after  dark,  the 
heavy  cannonade  was  broken  only  by  long  and  terrific 
vollies  of  musketry,  now  before  us,  now  on  the  right, 
now  far  away  to  the  left.  Evidently  a  terrible  battle 
was  going  on,  but  with  what  result  we  could  only  guess, 
for  we  could  only  hear,  and  during  all  these  days  did 
not  see  an  enemy  or  hear  the  whir-r-r  of  a  single  shot. 
There  we  lay,  cold,  idle  and  anxious,  aware  only  of 
the  severity  of  the  contest,  expecting  soon  to  take  part 
in  it  and  knowing  nothing  of  the  result.  The  day 
passed  slowly  away,  ending  in  the  heaviest  musketry 
fire  by  all  odds  that  I  ever  heard,  and  again  we  passed 
a  moonlight  evening  over  our  camp-fires.  .  .  . 

An  order  has  just  come  for  me  to  go  out  with  two 
days'  rations  and  twenty  pounds  of  forage  on  some  un 
known  job.  If  we  meet  an  enemy  God  save  us,  for  I 
understand  Colonel is  to  command. 

Wednesday,  24th.  We  got  back  from  our  scout  yes 
terday  at  about  noon,  having  accomplished  nothing 
and  now,  as  Colonel  Sargent  has  kindly  put  me  un 
der  arrest,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  quietly  finish  my  letter. 
Where  did  I  leave  off?  I  had  accounted  for  Saturday 
I  believe.  Sunday  the  14th  found  us  still  in  the  woods 


A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [DEC.  21, 

and  still  the  weather  continued  clear  and  warm.  At 
daybreak  the  usual  firing  began  and  at  times  there 
seemed  to  be  explosions  of  musketry  and  cannon,  but 
it  was  not  at  all  the  fire  of  yesterday.  Our  horses  were 
still  kept  saddled  and  all  our  traps  packed,  but  I  had 
ceased  to  believe  that  we  should  move,  and  lay  peace 
ably  before  my  fire,  enjoying  the  soft  air  and  the 
strange  lively  scene  and  reading  Browning's  poems. 

Towards  evening  rumors  of  some  great  success  were 
rife  and  made  us  all  very  cheerful,  and  we  again  hoped 
soon  to  be  in  the  saddle  and  following  the  enemy  briskly 
up  on  the  road  to  Richmond.  I  put  less  faith  in  the 
rumors  than  most  and  accordingly  next  day  my  dis 
appointment  was  less.  For  next  day  our  hopes  most 
suddenly  collapsed.  There  was  a  desultory  firing  going 
on  all  day,  but  not  amounting  to  a  great  deal  as  com 
pared  with  what  had  been  going  on.  We  lay  in  the 
woods  as  usual  and  I  started  this  letter,  but  was  sud 
denly  cut  short  by  an  order  to  shift  all  the  picket  ropes, 
which,  while  it  increased  my  comfort,  took  up  the  rest 
of  the  day  and  cut  off  your  letter. 

Tuesday  the  16th,  they  actually  took  us  out  to  drill, 
to  exercise  the  horses  and  occupy  the  time.  We  skir 
mished  round  a  hilly  field  opposite  the  camp  for  a  couple 
of  hours,  and  then  the  Colonel  blundered  us  into  camp. 
It  began  to  grow  clear  that  we  should  not  immediately 
be  wanted.  When  I  got  in  I  was  informed  that  I  was 
to  be  officer  of  the  day  and  was  to  go  out  and  post  some 
pickets  to  protect  the  rear  of  the  camp.  I  should  just 
as  soon  have  thought  of  posting  pickets  in  State  Street, 
as  we  were  all  surrounded  by  the  camps  of  our  friends; 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  213 

but  I  did  as  I  was  told  and  posted  at  least  half  a  dozen 
miserable  men  in  positions  in  which  they  seemed  least 
likely  to  be  ridiculous  and  returned  to  camp  to  be 
worried  by  my  Colonel.  That  night  it  rained  smartly 
and,  as  usual,  the  drops  pattering  on  my  face  reminded 
me  that  we  were  in  bivouac.  Like  a  knowing  cam 
paigner  I  called  to  my  servant  to  throw  my  rubber 
poncho  over  me,  pulled  my  boots  under  the  blankets 
and  my  cape  over  my  head  and  chuckled  myself  to 
sleep,  as  the  rain  came  down  harder  and  harder,  to 
think  how  comfortable  I  was  and  how  very  much  I  had 
got  ahead  of  the  elements  this  time.  The  next  morning 
it  cleared  away  at  about  the  time  when  decent  people 
get  up.  I  suppose,  of  course,  that  you  bear  in  mind 
that  eight  o'clock  P.M.  is  our  bed  time  and  that  the 
regular  hour  of  reveille  is  half  past  six  —  one  hour  be 
fore  sunrise  —  which  we  vary  on  special  occasions  by 
having  it  at  three  o'clock  and  so  down.  I  assure  you 
I  have  seen  all  the  sun-rises  I  ever  want  to  see  and 
I  thoroughly  believe  in  lying  abed  until  the  earth  is 
dry. 

Hardly  was  the  sun  out  when  the  announcement 
seemed  to  run  at  once  all  through  the  camps  that  our 
whole  army  had  recrossed,  that  the  bridges  were  all 
up  and  the  campaign  was  a  terrible  failure  —  in  a 
word,  all  our  cake  was  dough.  Even  Colonel  Sargent 
concluded  that  his  regiment  would  not  advance  for 
a  few  days  and  left  camp.  Hardly  was  he  gone  when 
"The  General"  sounded  and  it  was  announced  that 
we  were  to  go  back  whence  we  came.  It  was  a  muddy, 
sullen,  discouraging  march  home.  The  sky  was  cloudy 


214  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [DEC.  21, 

and  threatening  and  the  mud  deep,  liquid,  and  slip 
pery.  It  was  rapidly  growing  cold  and  the  wind  was 
rough  and  chilling.  We  had  been  to  the  front  and  had 
not  been  under  fire  or  seen  an  enemy,  and  we  were  going 
back  with  a  campaign  ruined  and  winter  quarters  be 
fore  us.  For  myself  I  did  hope  that  now  we  should  put 
through  this  winter  campaign  and  not  sit  down  under 
this  blow.  I  never  had  any  confidence  in  this  advance, 
but  we  had  tried  it  and  now  I,  and  I  think  all,  felt  that 
it  would  not  do  to  give  it  up  so,  and  we  did  earnestly 
hope  that  we  might  be  called  upon  to  face  and  be  able 
to  surmount  all  the  exposures,  dangers  and  obstacles 
of  a  winter  campaign.  At  any  rate  we  felt  willing  to 
try  and  I  do  so  now,  but  I  understand  this  feeling  does 
not  extend  to  the  body  of  the  army  which  crossed  the 
Rappahannock.  We  got  into  camp  by  three  o'clock, 
finding  it  dirty,  unprepared,  bleak  and  cold,  and  there 
finished  as  quietly  disheartening  a  day  as  I  care  to 
pass,  with  a  miserable  and  insufficient  dinner  and  a 
night  passed  wretchedly  cold  in  a  wet  overcoat  and 
frozen  blankets.  I  had  n't  got  ahead  of  the  elements 
the  night  before  as  I  had  calculated. 

A  change  of  weather  had  taken  place  and  we  had  got 
back  to  our  tents  just  in  time  to  meet  it.  It  was  cold, 
very  cold,  ice  an  inch  and  a  half  thick  and  now  and 
then  men  frozen  to  death  —  only  stragglers  and  serve 
them  right;  but  then  you  know  "a  soldier's  life  is  al 
ways  gay."  As  for  us,  again  we  went  shivering  round 
camp,  frozen  out  of  our  tents  and  miserably  grouping 
round  first  one  fire  and  then  another.  Our  camp  is 
the  coldest,  bleakest,  most  exposed  place  in  the  whole 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  215 

surrounding  country,  and  we  wanted  to  move  into  the 
woods;  but  our  Colonel,  fully  impressed  with  the  idea 
each  day  that  tomorrow  we  are  going  to  advance  in 
triumph  to  Richmond,  did  n't  think  it  worth  while  to 
make  us  comfortable  just  for  a  day,  and,  as  he  has  a 
large  tent  with  a  fireplace  in  it,  he  is  n't  frozen  out  as 
we  poor  devils  are.  Anyhow,  the  next  three  days  until 
Sunday  passed  uncomfortably  enough,  clear  and  bitter 
cold,  the  water  in  our  blankets  freezing  even  at  noon. 
They  drilled  us  Friday  and  Saturday,  and  that  was  a 
bore;  but  on  Friday  my  patience  gave  out  and  I  re 
solved  to  be  comfortable  if  only  for  a  day.  So  I  set  men 
to  work  and  had  a  fireplace  built  behind  my  tent,  of 
rough  stone.  The  seam  in  the  rear  of  the  tent  was  then 
opened  and  closed  around  its  mouth,  and  lo!  in  one 
corner  of  my  tent  was  a  mean,  ugly  little  open  fire 
place.  Then  I  had  a  shelf  put  up  on  one  side,  on  which 
I  am  now  writing,  and  a  bed  of  fir-tree  branches  on  the 
other  side  on  which  I  spread  my  blankets.  Thus  I 
become  more  comfortable  than  I  had  ever  been  be 
fore  and,  though  the  wind  sweeps  and  the  rain  drips 
through  my  tent,  and  Davis  in  abject  despair  calls 
it  a  "dirty  kennel,"  in  it  I  can  be  comfortable  and  I 
can  write  in  the  coldest  weather,  and  there  I  am  writ 
ing  now,  and  tomorrow  in  it  Davis  and  I  will  have  our 
Christmas  dinner,  if  we  can  raise  one,  which  seems 
doubtful;  but  your  dinner  in  London  and  John's  in 
Boston  will  not  taste  better  than  ours,  though  we  do 
eat  tough  beef  and  drink  commissary  whiskey  out  of 
battered  and  campaign  worn  old  tin  plates  and  cups. 
And  even  if  it  does,  I  am  very  sure  that  my  health  will 


216  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [DEC.  21. 

be  drunk  and  I  shall  be  remembered  in  Newport  and 
Boston  and  London  and  that  if  it  lay  in  the  power  of 
my  family,  I  should  eat  and  drink  of  the  fat  of  the  land. 
However,  to  go  back  to  my  letter.  I  left  off,  I  be 
lieve,  just  where  I  began  this  letter  —  at  Sunday  noon. 
We  got  our  orders  —  250  men  from  the  command,  with 
two  days  rations  and  twenty  pounds  of  forage,  and  were 
to  report  in  an  hour.  It  struck  hard,  for  though  the 
weather  had  moderated  it  was  cloudy  and  threatened 
rain  and  it  was  still  rough  and  we  were  just  comfort 
able.  However,  out  it  was  and  my  fifty-six  men  were 
in  line  at  the  time  the  fifty-six  horses  having  had  two 
quarts  of  oats  and  no  hay,  thanks  to  the  shortcomings 
of  the  brigade  Quarter  Master,  that  day.  We  got  out 
and  joined  other  details  from  the  brigade,  making  1000 
cavalry  all  told,  and  somewhat  after  dark  took  up  our 
line  of  march  for  Hartwood  Church.  We  reached  our 
advanced  pickets  at  about  nine  o'clock  and  then  en 
camped  in  the  woods,  lighting  fires  and  feeding  our 
horses  and  before  eleven  we  were  all  asleep.  At  three 
o'clock  Monday  morning  an  orderly  came  round  and 
woke  us  up,  though  why  we  did  n't  exactly  see,  as  our 
horses  were  neither  fed  nor  cleaned,  and  all  we  had  to 
do  was  to  get  our  breakfasts.  I  fed  my  horse  and  got 
myself  up  a  fine  breakfast  of  four  hard-breads  and  was 
ready  for  a  start,  but  the  start  did  n't  come  until  day 
break,  and  the  sun  rose,  weak  and  cloudy,  while  we 
were  still  within  our  pickets,  but  yet  on  the  road. 
Then  came  a  long  killing  march,  ending  in  nothing. 
We  rapidly  pushed  directly  forward,  at  times  at  a 
gallop,  until  after  noon,  when  we  pushed  forward 


I 
1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  217 

through  some  fields  and  woods  as  fast  as  our  horses 
could  go,  using  many  up  and  finishing  a  man  or  two  by 
tumbles  and  accidental  shots.  Here  we  drove  in  pick 
ets,  but  I  saw  no  signs  of  any  force  of  the  enemy  having 
been  in  that  vicinity.  We  then  turned  to  the  South  and 
towards  the  river  and  ended  by  meeting  Sigel's  corps 
and  marching  home  to  our  camp  of  the  night  before, 
having  made  a  dashing  reconnaissance  with  no  results. 
.  .  .  We  got  into  camp  about  five  o'clock  having  cov 
ered  I  should  say  not  less  than  thirty-five  miles.  We 
cleaned  and  fed  the  horses,  cooked  some  supper  and 
then  went  to  sleep.  Yesterday  (Tuesday,  23d)  at  day 
break  we  were  roused  and  got  ready  to  come  home. 
To  show  you  how  government  kills  horses,  I  will  say 
that  my  fifty-six  from  twelve  o'clock  Saturday  night  to 
twelve  o'clock  Tuesday  noon  —  sixty  hours  —  trav 
elled  nearly  sixty  miles  and  had  no  hay  and  just  thir 
teen  quarts  of  oats  apiece.  I  am  glad  to  say  only 
one  gave  out,  and  that  one  has  since  been  brought  in. 
We  came  leisurely  in  on  a  pleasant,  warm,  winter  morn 
ing,  and  here  befel  my  most  lamentable  arrest  by  my 
Colonel.  He  thinks  himself  a  disciplinarian  and  is 
great  on  "marching  orders,"  and  leaving  the  column 
on  a  march.  Now  we  were  within  sight  of  our  camp 
and  the  brigade  had  stopped  to  water  at  a  stream,  and 
watering  a  thousand  horses  is  a  matter  of  time.  As  we 
were  waiting  I  happened  to  hear  that  Colonel  Buchanan 
was  quartered  just  a  hundred  yards  or  so  on  our  right 
in  plain  sight.  I  wanted  to  see  him  and  said  so  to  Major 
Higginson,  with  whom  I  was  riding.  He  replied :  "Why 
don't  you  go  now?  I  would."  I  said  I  would  come  over 


218  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [DEC.  19. 

again,  there  "was  n't  time,  etc.;  but  he  still  advised 
me  to  go  until  at  last  I  said  I  thought  I  would  and 
cantered  over  there.  I  found  the  Colonel  in  front  of 
his  tent  and  had  a  pleasant  talk  of  about  ten  minutes 
with  him.  I  then  started  to  rejoin  my  column  and 
found  it  had  gone  forward.  I  followed  and  came  up 
just  after  my  company  had  watered  and  found  Colo 
nel  Sargent  just  finishing  some  unknown  manoeuvre 
through  which  he  discovered  my  absence.  As  I  calmly 
took  my  place,  he  summoned  me  before  him  and  in 
quired  where  I  had  been.  I  pleasantly  informed  him,  in 
that  airy  manner  which  makes  me  a  universal  favorite, 
and  he  immediately  put  me  under  arrest.  Upon  which, 
winking  pleasantly  at  his  orderlies,  I  retired  to  the  rear 
of  my  company.  I  believe  now  he  is  debating  in  his 
own  mind  as  to  whether  he  will  have  me  dismissed 
the  service  without  a  hearing  or  court  martialed  and 
cashiered.  He  is  too  ignorant  to  know  that  my  having 
had  the  consent  of  my  immediate  superior  to  what  I  did 
covers  me  completely.  So  now  I  look  upon  this  as  a 
little  vacation  and  to  my  release  from  the  weary  mo 
notony  of  company  duties  you  owe  this  letter.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  December  19,  1862 

To  change  the  subject  let  me  tell  you  of  a  pleasant  little 
experience  which  diverted  my  thoughts  from  home  last 
evening.  The  Queen's  Advocate,  Sir  Robert  Philli- 
more,  learning  that  I  had  accepted  an  invitation  of  the 
Westminster  School  to  attend  their  annual  performance 


SURGEON  LUCIUS  MANLIUS  SARGENT 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  219 

of  a  Latin  play,  asked  me  to  join  him  at  his  own  house 
to  dinner,  and  proceed  from  there.  I  accepted  very 
thankfully.  The  company  I  met  was  small  but  choice. 
It  consisted  of  the  Lord  Chancellor  (Lord  Westbury), 
the  Brazilian  Minister,  Lord  Harris,  now  attached  to 
the  new  household  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  a  brother 
of  the  host.  We  had  a  lively  dinner,  as  the  Chancellor 
is  a  very  ready  talker,  and  has  great  resources,  and  soon 
after  proceeded  to  Westminster  School  which  is  in  close 
proximity  to  the  famous  old  abbey.  It  dates  from  the 
time  of  Elizabeth  and  has  produced  many  eminent  men 
from  Ben  Jonson  downward  to  Gibbon  and  Southey. 
The  stage  is  set  up  in  what  is  called  the  dormitory,  a 
large  hall,  the  bare  walls  of  which  are  marked  with  the 
names  in  large  letters  of  those  who  have  been  scholars 
with  the  date  attached,  apparently  done  by  themselves 
without  any  order  or  method.  The  popularity  of  the 
school  has  declined  of  late  years,  whilst  that  of  Eton 
has  developed  beyond  all  legitimate  bounds.  Neverthe 
less  those  who  are  attached  to  it  cling  with  pride  to 
its  usages,  and  of  these  the  most  notable  and  peculiar 
is  the  performance  about  Christmas  time  every  year  of 
some  old  Latin  play. 

This  year  it  happened  to  be  the  Andria  of  Terence. 
The  scene  was  well  got  up.  It  represented  Athens  in 
the  distance,  as  it  may  be  presumed  to  have  looked  in 
its  sunny  days.  The  costumes  were  rigidly  Grecian 
according  to  the  best  authority.  The  only  modern 
things  were  the  prologue  and  epilogue,  and  these  were 
likewise  in  Latin. 

I  had  seen  the  same  thing  done  at  Ealing  in  my  boy- 


220  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [DEC.  25, 

hood.  But  now  that  I  could  understand  it  better  I 
wanted  to  see  it  again.  Not  having  read  the  piece  for 
twenty  years  I  had  bought  a  copy  of  Terence  pre 
viously  and  refreshed  my  memory  with  a  careful  pe 
rusal.  The  result  was  that  I  enjoyed  it  exceedingly. 
The  boys  articulated  well  and  acted  with  spirit,  one  or 
two  with  power,  so  that  I  could  form  a  very  fair  notion 
of  the  secret  of  the  charm  of  old  Menander.  The  audi 
ence,  composed  mostly  of  old  Westminster  scholars 
familiar  with  the  play,  was  quiet  and  sympathetic,  so 
that  it  really  gave  a  good  illusion.  On  the  whole  I  must 
say  that  this  is  the  pleasantest  evening  I  have  yet 
passed  in  England.  The  Queen's  Advocate,  Sir  Robert 
Phillimore's  son  was  what  is  called  the  Captain  of  the 
school,  and  played  the  part  of  Pamphilus  very  well.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

Mount  Felix,  Walton  on  Thames  * 
December  25,  1862 

PUBLIC  matters  remain  yet  in  a  profound  state  of  repose, 
and  probably  will  continue  so  for  another  month.  The 
publication  made  by  the  Secretary  of  State  of  large 
portions  of  my  Despatches  for  the  past  year  has  rather 
stirred  a  hornet's  nest  in  the  press,  but  I  fancy  it 
will  prove  only  a  nine  days'  wonder.  I  have  said 
merely  what  everybody  knows.  The  great  body  of  the 
aristocracy  and  the  wealthy  commercial  classes  are 
anxious  to  see  the  United  States  go  to  pieces.  On  the 
other  hand  the  middle  and  lower  class  sympathise 

1  Russell  Sturgis'  place. 


1862.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  221 

with  us,  more  and  more  as  they  better  comprehend  the 
true  nature  of  the  struggle.  A  good  deal  of  dust  was 
thrown  into  their  eyes  at  first  by  the  impudent  pretense 
that  the  tariff  was  the  cause  of  the  war.  All  that  is 
now  over.  Even  the  Times  has  no  longer  the  assurance 
to  repeat  that  fable.  The  true  division  now  begins  to 
make  itself  perceptible  here  as  elsewhere  in  Europe  — 
the  party  of  the  old  and  of  the  new,  of  vested  rights  and 
of  well  regulated  freedom.  All  equally  see  in  the  convul 
sion  in  America  an  era  in  the  history  of  the  world,  out 
of  which  must  come  in  the  end  a  general  recognition  of 
the  right  of  mankind  to  the  produce  of  their  labor  and 
the  pursuit  of  happiness.  Across  all  these  considera 
tions  come  occasionally  individual  and  national  inter 
ests  which  pervert  the  judgment  for  a  time,  but  the 
world  moves  onward  taking  little  note  of  temporary 
perturbations,  and  whatever  may  betide  to  us  of  this 
generation,  the  end  is  sure.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  December  26,  1862 

.  .  .  THE  telegrams  announce  a  battle  on  the  13th  and 
from  the  scanty  items  I  infer  that  it  was  another  An- 
tietam,  only  worse.  In  short  I  am  prepared  for  a  com 
plete  check  and  am  screwing  my  courage  up  to  face  the 
list  of  killed  and  wounded.  .  .  . 

We  have  our  hands  full  and  things  are  in  a  very  lively 
state.  The  notes  are  becoming  savage,  but  we  have 
a  clear  case  and  are  making  headway.  I  find  myself, 
I  think,  of  use,  and  am  well  content  to  be  here.  My 
former  restlessness  was  caused  by  the  Pope  campaign 


A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [DEC.  26. 

which  upset  us  all.  On  the  whole  I  would  infinitely 
prefer  to  be  here  to  going  into  the  army,  and  it  is  only 
when  there  really  seems  to  be  a  superior  call  to  the 
army  that  I  feel  disposed  to  move. 

Anxiety  has  become  our  normal  condition  and  I  find 
a  fellow  can  dance  in  time  on  a  tight  rope  as  easily  as 
on  a  floor.  It  is  harder  to  keep  one's  temper,  but 
even  that  I  now  contrive  to  do  in  very  trying  cases. 
A  steady  pressure  tells  better  here  than  anything 
else,  and  if  our  people  will  be  cool,  I  think  we  can  set 
England  straight.  .  .  . 

I  have  been  staying  several  days  at  Monckton 
Milnes'  place  in  Yorkshire  where  we  had  a  very  jolly 
little  bachelor  party.  .  .  . 

Even  the  stoic  steadiness  of  nerve  that  I  am  try 
ing  to  cultivate,  shakes  under  the  apprehension  of  the 
next  news. 


1863 


1863 
CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  MOTHER 

Potomac  Run,  Va. 
January  2,  1863 

DURING  the  day  [29th]  two  details  of  one  hundred  men 
each  were  ordered  from  our  regiment,  to  join  other  de 
tails  from  other  regiments  in  the  brigade  at  eight  o'clock 
the  next  morning.  One  of  these  details  was  to  consist 
of  picked  men  and  horses,  carefully  armed,  with  three 
days'  rations  and  twenty  pounds  of  forage,  and  of  these 
Colonel  Curtis  had  command  and  Channing  Clapp 
went  with  him  as  Major.  I  had  command  of  the  other 
detail,  which  was  provided  with  ten  pounds  of  forage 
and  three  days'  rations.  Both  details  got  off  at  eight 
o'clock  the  morning  of  the  30th,  Colonel  Curtis  report 
ing  to  General  Averell  in  person  and  I  to  Major  White 
of  the  3d  Pennsylvania.  Evidently  something  was  on 
foot.  General  Averell's  force  could  not  have  been  less 
than  a  couple  of  thousand  picked  men  and  horses 
under  chosen  officers  and  it  was  evident  that  work  was 
cut  out  for  them.  Our  force  was  about  325,  far  inferior 
men  and  horses,  and  I  imagined  we  were  merely  to  act 
as  a  reserve  or  to  support  a  battery.  It  took  us  a  long 
time  to  get  off  and  it  was  while  waiting  in  the  saddle, 
on  a  chilly,  cloudy  December  morning,  that  I  received 
all  your  letters  of  November  21st,  informing  me  of 
Sallie  Hampton's  death  among  other  facts. 


A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS        [JAN.  2, 

About  ten  o'clock  we  began  to  move,  our  detach 
ment  following  General  Averell's  and  taking  the  road 
towards  our  advanced  pickets  at  the  Hartwood  Church. 
We  got  there  at  about  noon  and  after  a  few  min 
utes'  rest  Major  White  received  his  orders.  We  again 
mounted,  passed  Averell's  force  and  took  the  west 
erly  road.  Here  Major  White  sent  me  back  word  that 
he  wished  to  see  me,  and  I  went  forward  and  joined  him 
and  he  proceeded  to  develop  to  me  the  plan  of  our 
scout,  as  it  appeared  I  was  next  in  command  to  him 
self.  We  were  to  march  with  the  utmost  despatch  and 
caution  to  Warrenton  Junction,  there  rest  and  feed, 
and  start  at  the  proper  time  to  arrive  at  Warrenton 
at  daylight,  "where,"  the  orders  went  on,  "you  will 
find  two  companies  of  rebel  cavalry.  You  will  capture 
these  and  return  at  once,  reporting  in  person  to  Major 
General  Hooker."  White  winked  at  me  and  I  winked 
at  White,  and  immediately  I  went  to  the  rear,  changed 
my  mare  for  my  heavy  old  working  brute,  and  sent  her, 
my  servant  and  all  my  possessions  back  within  the 
picket  and  then  rejoined  White  and  we  went  on  our 
way  rejoicing  in  the  cold,  heavy,  rainy  December  after 
noon.  For  once  I  really  believed  we  were  going  to  do 
something  and  my  spirits  rose  accordingly. 

We  pushed  briskly  along,  stopping  only  once  for  a 
few  moments  until  nine  o'clock,  when  we  found  our 
selves  close  to  Warrenton  Junction  and  then  turned 
into  the  woods  to  wait,  for  the  next  six  hours.  It  had 
been  raining,  but  not  heavily,  and  now  the  air  was 
very  heavy  and  cold  —  damp.  It  was  a  sort  of  cold 
drizzle.  Of  course  fires  were  not  safe,  so  we  fed  our 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  227 

horses  and  then,  after  sharing  Major  White's  supper, 
I  smoked  for  a  while  and  then  lay  down  at  the  foot  of  a 
tree  and  slept  as  tmcomfortably  as  I  care  to,  waking 
up  chilled  through  and  very  disconsolate.  At  three 
o'clock  we  again  got  on  the  road  and  pushed  on  well 
enough,  except  that  our  guides  once  or  twice  lost  the 
road,  until  we  came  to  the  Junction.  There,  the  moon 
having  gone  xiown,  it  suddenly  became  intensely 
dark,  our  guides  lost  the  road,  we  got  wandering 
through  the  woods  and  morasses,  and,  for  a  time, 
things  looked  black  enough.  I  never  saw  such  dark 
ness.  I  could  not  see  a  man  and  horse  three  feet  before 
me,  but  blindly  followed  the  jingling  of  the  column, 
relying  on  my  horse  not  to  fall  and  to  keep  the  road. 
We  lost  our  advance  guard,  a  message  came  up  that 
the  rear  squadron  had  not  been  seen  for  a  long  time, 
and  we  lost  our  rear-guard  and  did  n't  find  it  until  next 
day.  We  had  finally  to  retrace  our  steps  to  the  Junction 
and  there,  at  least,  we  found  our  missing  squadron,  got 
back  our  advance  guard  and  re-discovered  the  road  and 
then  pressed  on  once  more. 

Then  came  one  of  those  disgusting  night  marches; 
cold  and  disgusted,  one's  only  desire  is  to  be  in  bed ;  so 
sleepy  that  to  keep  one's  eyes  open  is  impossible.  You 
sleep  and  doze  in  wretched  discomfort  while  your  horse 
presses  on.  Good  Lord !  how  for  two  hours  I  did  wish 
myself  comfortably  back  under  arrest.  Day  broke  at 
last  and  I  woke  up.  We  were  late  and  pressing  on  fast, 
but  it  was  eight  o'clock  before  we  entered  Warren- 
ton.  White  was  to  drive  in  the  pickets  and  charge 
through  the  town  with  one  squadron  and  I  was  to  fol- 


228  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS        [JAN.  2, 

low  in  the  rear  and  support  him  with  mine,  while  the 
third  was  to  be  left  as  reserve.  As  we  approached  the 
town  I  began  to  smell  a  rat.  In  vain  I  listened  for  the 
first  shots  telling  that  we  were  on  their  pickets.  It 
did  n't  come,  and  I  began  to  feel  that  we  were  sold. 
Still  it  had  to  be  done.  On  a  bright,  cool  morning  in 
December,  feeling  like  a  fool,  I  charged  through  the 
quiet  town  of  Warrenton  at  the  head  of  my  squadron, 
with  their  carbines  advanced,  making  a  devil  of  a 
racket,  barked  at  by  curs  and  astonishing  and  delight 
ing  peaceful  citizens.  They  flocked  out  and  looked  at  us, 
not  exactly  with  admiration,  but  much  as  if  it  had  been 
the  great  American  Circus  or  Van  Amburg's  Menagerie, 
or  any  other  show  got  up  for  their  edification.  They 
were  very  civil  and  certainly  exhibited  no  signs  of  dis 
trust  or  fear,  and  we  justified  their  confidence;  for,  as 
soon  as  we  had  rushed  through  the  town  and  sent  our 
men  up  all  manner  of  streets,  satisfying  ourselves  that 
there  was  no  organized  body  of  rebels  in  that  town,  we 
turned  round  and  left  the  town  according  to  our  orders 
on  our  way  home.  We  felt,  as  I  have  said,  like  fools. 

I  have  told  you  what  was,  now  for  what  might  have 
been.  As  we  marched  away  we  heard  bells  ringing  and 
wondered  what  it  was.  It  was  a  little  signal.  Two  hours 
after  we  left,  Stuart  entered  the  town  on  his  way  back 
from  Dumfries  and  was  there  joined  by  Lee  and  a  few 
hours  after  he  left  Averell  entered  it  in  pursuit  and  thus 
Warrenton  saw  plenty  of  cavalry  that  day.  On  the 
one  hand  we  just  missed  defeat  and  captivity,  death  or 
flight,  and  on  the  other,  brilliant  success.  Had  Stuart 
been  there  when  we  arrived  we  would  savagely  have 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  229 

assaulted  his  whole  force,  under  the  impression  that 
they  were  the  two  companies  we  were  after  and  now, 
the  probabilities  are,  I  should  not  have  been  writing 
this  letter.  Had  Averell  gone  with  us,  instead  of  tak 
ing  the  road  he  did,  Stuart  would  have  been  caught 
at  last.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  MOTHER 

Camp  of  1st  Mass.  Cav'y 
Potomac  Run,  Va.y  January  8,  1863 

IT  was  clear  that  we  were  not  going  to  the  bridge,  as 
Chamberlain  of  our  regiment  had  charge  of  that  party. 
I  had  the  rear  of  the  column  and  a  ripping  head-ache, 
otherwise  I  should  have  enjoyed  the  thing  immensely, 
for  it  was  a  clear,  cold,  moonlight  night  and  we  went 
floundering  through  the  marshes  at  a  tremendous  gait. 
All  I  could  see  was  dissolving  views  of  the  rear  of  the 
column  as  we  pelted  through  woods  and  across  broad 
white  marshes,  intersected  by  creeks  which  we  had  to 
ford.  Presently  Ben  [Crowninshield]  came  down  the 
column  and  informed  me  that  we  were  going  up  the 
railroad  to  destroy  some  smaller  bridges  and,  if  it  took 
us  long,  we  were  to  let  the  column  go  and  find  our  own 
way  home.  Of  course  we  lost  the  way  and  after  riding 
up  the  road  two  miles  and  finding  no  bridge,  we  rode 
down  two  miles  and  a  half,  cutting  down  the  telegraph 
poles  as  we  went  along,  and  then  there  was  a  halt  and 
I  heard  the  sound  of  the  axes.  "Ah,"  thought  I,  "here 
is  the  bridge,"  and  my  head-ache  felt  better. 

So  I  rode  up  and  looked  at  a  miserable  little  culvert, 


230  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS        [JAN.  8, 

about  three  yards  long,  on  which  some  twenty  de 
stroyers  were  at  work.  This  was,  then,  the  greatest 
humbug  of  all.  We  had  come  with  artillery  and  cavalry 
and  infantry,  through  rain  and  snow  and  ice,  without 
shelter  or  forage,  all  the  way  up  here  to  cut  up  a  miser 
able  little  culvert  which  ten  men  could  rebuild  in  five 
hours.  It  would  have  been  very  amusing  had  I  felt 
well.  There  we  were  a  hundred  of  us,  some  eighty  in 
line  and  ready  to  fire  into  any  unsuspecting  train  which 
might  come  along,  and  the  other  twenty,  without  direc 
tion,  or  system  or  tools,  tugging  away  at  a  remarkably 
well-built  railroad  which  resisted  their  utmost  efforts. 
Ye  Gods!  how  the  mismanagement  did  stick  out!! 
Our  tools  were  six  axes  and  the  ground  was  hard  frozen. 
Every  one  directed  and  every  one  worked  on  his  own 
hook.  My  second  Lieutenant,  a  son  of  Judge  Par 
sons,  was  ordered  to  do  the  work  and  he  bellowed  and 
swore,  and  the  men  laughed  and  minded  him  or  not  as 
they  chose.  White,  quite  nervous  and  anxious  to  get 
through,  complained  that  too  many  orders  were  given 
and  did  nothing  to  remedy  it.  Ben  Crowninshield, 
very  anxious  to  get  the  job  done  while  yet  there  was 
time,  seeing  that  the  men  had  worked  an  hour  with 
out  getting  up  a  single  rail,  encouraged  them  by  danc 
ing  round  in  high  excitement,  exhorting  them  some 
what  generally  to  "do  something  to  turn  the  whole 
thing  over  at  once,  somehow,"  and  I  sat  on  my  horse 
in  amused  despair. 

At  length  with  immense  effort  we  got  up  one  rail  and 
threw  it  into  the  creek,  and  White  at  once  declared  the 
bridge  used  up  and  we  started  back  along  the  railroad. 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  231 

It  was  eleven  o'clock  now  and  the  last  half  hour  we 
had  heard  a  spattering  fire  of  carbines  and  musquetry 
towards  the  river,  indicating  that  Chamberlain  was  at 
work,  but  no  artillery,  which  seemed  to  indicate  that 
it  was  n't  much  of  a  job  after  all.  As  for  us  we  went 
rapidly  along  the  track  and  the  first  thing  we  knew  we 
came  to  a  bridge,  as  was  a  bridge.  It  was  clear  at  once 
we  had  been  at  work  on  the  wrong  bridge  hitherto,  so 
we  went  to  work  again.  It  was  the  same  old  story,  only 
a  little  better,  for  this  time  we  made  cleaner  work,  pull 
ing  up  the  track,  cutting  through  the  uprights  and 
main  beams  and  finally  setting  the  middle  pier  on  fire; 
having  done  which  we  mounted  and  went  off  better 
pleased. 

Through  the  whole  thing  I  must  confess  I  felt  like 
a  fool.  It  was  a  small  job  and  badly  done;  slight  resist 
ance  would  have  turned  us  back  and  I  have  n't  as  yet 
gotten  over  an  old  prejudice  against  going  round  de 
stroying  property  which  no  one  tries  to  protect.  Any 
how  it  was  done  and  the  fire  of  the  burning  bridge 
thre\v  a  bright  light  across  the  marsh  as  we  rode  away. 
We  rejoined  the  main  body  and  waited  for  Chamber 
lain,  who  had  been  at  work  on  the  main  bridge  and  had, 
after  some  slight  resistance,  resulting  in  nothing,  de 
stroyed  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  of  it.  The 
whole  party  was  in  by  three  o'clock,  and  we  at  once 
started  back  and,  as  I  rode  along  in  the  clear,  cold 
moonlight,  I  very  soon  made  up  my  mind  as  to  the 
whole  affair. 

I  don't  know,  but  I  imagine  a  newspaper  success  — 
"dashing  raid"  and  all  that  —  will  be  manufactured 


232  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS        [JAN.  8, 

out  of  this.  If  it  is  I  can  only  say  it  is  a  clap-trap  and 
a  humbug  and  was  intended  as  such.  It  is,  I  fear,  pure 
Joe  Hookerism  and  wire  pulling.  The  bridge  was  of  no 
real  value  to  the  rebels  or  to  us  and  was  not  protected. 
Even  if  it  had  been,  Ned  Flint,  who  is  an  engineer,  said 
he  would  contract  to  repair  with  forty  men  all  the  dam 
age  done  in  four  days.  Anyhow,  value  or  no  value,  two 
hundred  cavalry  could  have  done  it  twice  as  surely  and 
effectually  and  in  just  half  the  time,  and  so  Chamber 
lain  had  previously  reported.  But  no!  that  wouldn't 
answer  for  political  effect,  and  so  the  sledge  is  brought 
out  to  crush  the  fly,  and  infantry,  artillery  and  cavalry 
are  paraded  out  in  the  depth  of  winter  to  burn  a  bridge 
which  no  one  used  or  means  to  use,  and  I  expect  to  see 
an  immense  pow-wow  over  it.  If  there  is,  rest  assured 
it's  all  a  humbug.  The  thing  amounted  to  nothing, 
was  very  badly  done  after  no  end  of  blunders  and  mis 
management,  and  was  and  is  intended  solely  for  politi 
cal  effect  and  has  about  as  much  bearing  on  the  ends 
of  the  war  as  would  the  burning  of  Neponset  Bridge 
or  our  barn  at  Quincy.  .  .  . 

At  last,  at  half  past  one,  we  marched  into  camp  and 
were  dismissed.  This  was  Saturday  afternoon.  I  had 
been  on  continuous  duty  for  thirty-four  hours  and  in 
the  saddle  twenty-eight;  my  horse  had  not  eaten  for 
thirty  hours.  I  had  last  washed  my  face  and  hands 
on  Wednesday  morning,  and  in  this  week,  the  first  in 
January  and  by  far  the  most  severe  of  the  winter,  I 
had  passed  two  nights  in  my  tent  and  five  in  bivouac. 
I  got  something  to  eat  and  washed  my  face  and  hands 
and  then  went  out  to  see  that  the  horses  were  cared  for, 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  £33 

but  that  night  my  blankets  felt  like  a  bed  of  down  and 
I  slept  like  an  infant. 

I  have  been  specific  about  this  trip  as  I  regard  it  as 
finishing  my  education.  I  had  tried  most  kinds  before, 
dry  and  wet,  hot  and  cold.  We  have  steadily  been  at  it 
for  months  and  I  have  thought  that  terrible  discom 
fort  was  yet  to  come.  This  combined  cold  and  wet 
and  hunger  and  sleeplessness  and  fatigue  and  all  that 
men  regard  as  hard  to  bear.  We  had  slept  in  melting 
snow  and  rain,  had  passed  days  in  the  saddle  with 
soaking  feet  and  freezing  clothes,  had  waited  hours  in  a 
pelting  rain,  and  yet  I  had  enjoyed  it  all,  and  not  for  an 
instant  had  wished  myself  away.  I  do  not  now  believe 
in  outdoor  hardships.  None  of  us  are  sick,  we  have 
no  colds  and  no  diseases,  we  are  all  far  better  than  we 
wrere  at  home,  and  yet  there  is  but  one  greater  hardship 
than  we  have  felt.  A  long  continued,  disastrous  winter 
retreat  would  be  worse  and  in  the  line  of  exposure  this 
alone  I  now  fear.  .  .  . 

HENEY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  January  9,  1863 

I  AM  deep  in  international  law  and  political  economy, 
dodging  from  the  one  to  the  other;  and  as  I  see  nothing 
of  the  world  and  am  much  happier  when  I  see  nothing 
of  it,  I  have  no  news  to  tell  you.  In  point  of  fact  I  am 
better  satisfied  with  my  position  now  than  ever  before, 
and  think  I  am  of  use. 

At  this  moment  public  affairs  are  becalmed,  but 
Parliament  is  soon  to  meet  and  then  we  shall  all  be  put 


234  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JAN.  20, 

on  the  gridiron  again.  Luckily  one's  skin  gets  callous 
in  time.  We  are  pretty  strong,  however,  and  very  ac 
tive;  that  is,  our  party  here  is;  and  I  hope  we  can  check 
any  hostile  plots  on  this  side.  Of  course  we  expect  to 
come  in  personally  for  a  good  share  of  abuse  and  social 
annoyance,  but  I  suppose  we  can  stand  that.  Some 
day  et  haec  meminisse  juvabit.  I'll  make  you  laugh 
with  our  little  passages  at  arms.  As  a  general  thing, 
however,  we  are  simply  avoided.  By  the  way,  if  you 
can  get  Fred.  Seward  to  send  you  down  the  volume  of 
Diplomatic  Documents  just  published,  I  think  it  will 
amuse  you.  It  has  made  a  great  sensation  here,  and 
our  opponents  have  paraded  it  about  as  though  it  were 
a  collection  of  choice  blasphemy,  or  a  compilation  of 
bawdy  stories.  You  would  think  that  the  unpardonable 
sin  was  in  that  volume.  Unfortunately  it  is  seriously 
open  to  ridicule,  but  apart  from  that  there  is  really 
nothing  to  cry  out  at  and  much  to  praise  and  admire. 
I  congratulate  you  on  your  Captaincy,  if  it  is  a  cause 
of  congratulation.  You  know  I  look  on  the  service 
merely  as  a  necessary  duty,  and  my  highest  ambition 
would  be  reached  by  seeing  you  honorably  and  safely 
out  of  it.  When  that  event  arrives,  I  will  resign  you 
my  place  and  retire  to  private  life.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  MOTHER 

Potomac  Run,  Va. 
January  20,  1863 

I  SEE  a  great  deal  of  Buchanan  now  and  find  him 
extremely  pleasant  and  most  unexpectedly  kind  and 
disposed  to  assist  me.  Did  n't  we  formerly  consider 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  235 

Buchanan  a  little  pompous?  And  were  not  we  a  little 
disposed  to  laugh  at  him?  If  we  did  a  most  surprising 
change  has  come  over  him,  for  he  certainly  is  in  his  own 
quarters  and  in  his  intercourse  with  younger  men  by 
all  odds  the  most  genial  and  pleasant  officer  of  rank 
I  have  ever  met.  You  know  he  has  been  very  badly 
used  and  bears  it  like  a  man.  General  Sumner  alone  of 
all  the  Army  officers  in  this  Department  ranked  him 
when  the  war  began  and  now  Lieutenants  and  Cap 
tains  of  his  regiment  are  Brigadiers  and  Major  Gen 
erals  and  he  is  still  a  Lieutenant  Colonel  command 
ing  the  1st  Brigade  of  Regulars.  Yet  he  is  universally 
respected  as  one  of  our  best  officers  and  most  reliable 
men;  as  a  soldier  none  stand  higher  and  scarcely  one 
would  be  trusted  in  a  tight  place  as  soon  as  he.  He  has 
been  recommended  for  promotion  over  and  over  again 
and  no  man  in  the  army  doubts  his  loyalty.  But  Wil 
son  does  and  he  has  not  yet  succeeded  in  working  his 
way  through  the  Military  Committee  of  the  Senate. 
Now  he  is  coming  up  and  will  soon  get  what  he  most 
desires,  the  office  of  Inspector  General.  At  any  rate  he 
is  a  good  friend  of  mine,  and  I  count  his  rise  as  in  a 
good  degree  my  own.  I  contrive  to  get  over  and  see 
him  very  frequently  and  he  advises  me  to  leave  this 
regiment  and  go  into  a  staff.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  January  23,  1863 

OUR  customary  midweek  intelligence  has  not  arrived, 
owing  I  suppose  to  the  violence  of  the  storms  delaying 


236  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JAN.  23, 

the  steamers,  so  that  we  are  now  fifteen  days  back.  In 
the  meantime  the  President's  proclamation  is  doing 
much  for  us  on  this  side.  That  is  put  in  contrast  to  the 
paper  of  Jefferson  Davis,  much  to  the  advantage  of  the 
former.  The  middle  classes  generally  see  and  compre 
hend  the  existence  of  a  moral  question  apart  from  all 
political  disquisitions.  The  effect  is  to  bring  out  an  ex 
pression  in  popular  meetings  which  is  doing  something 
to  neutralise  the  opposite  tendency  of  the  governing 
people.  Mr.  Seward  has  printed  so  largely  from  my 
Despatches  of  last  year,  that  there  is  now  no  misunder 
standing  here  of  what  I  think  on  this  matter.  I  fear  that 
I  have  forfeited  the  favor  of  my  aristocratic  friends  by 
performing  my  duty  of  disclosing  their  tendencies,  but 
as  I  have  had  not  unsimilar  experiences  heretofore  at 
home,  perhaps  I  take  it  with  less  uneasiness.  There  are 
always  great  exceptions  to  be  made.  And  after  all,  the 
position  of  a  foreign  minister  must  necessarily  be  one 
to  inspire  caution  in  making  intimacies.  My  acquaint 
ance  is  already  quite  as  extensive  as  I  can  keep  up  with. 
The  profound  quiet  of  the  months  which  intervene 
during  the  absence  of  Parliament  is  almost  at  an  end. 
On  the  5th  of  February  the  respective  forces  in  the 
political  campaign  will  be  marshalled,  and  the  war 
of  ins  and  outs  will  begin.  Although  they  are  nearly 
equal  in  numbers  I  do  not  find  much  expectation  of  an 
overthrow  of  the  ministry.  Lord  Palmerston  is  very 
popular,  and  he  means  to  hold  on  to  power  as  long  as 
he  can.  If  the  opposition  throw  him  in  the  House,  he 
will  only  appeal  to  the  people,  and  the  chances  are  that 
he  may  sustain  himself.  For  though  the  special  vacan- 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  237 

cies  have  been  filled  rather  favorably  to  the  opposition, 
it  is  singular  that  the  successful  candidates  generally 
pledge  themselves  to  support  Lord  Palmerston.  Thus 
is  shown  the  singular  spectacle  of  a  leader  who  mounts 
two  parties  at  the  same  time  and  yet  having  the  entire 
confidence  of  neither.  Such  a  state  of  things  will  not 
survive  his  Lordship.  And  he  is  nearly  eighty  years 
old !  So  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  presume  that  a  change 
cannot  be  far  distant.  The  question  what  might  be  the 
effect  on  American  affairs  is  that  which  gives  us  an  in 
terest  in  the  result.  I  trust  that  before  it  happens  we 
may  be  so  far  on  our  way  to  a  result  at  home  as  to  save 
all  risk  of  trouble.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Potomac  River,  Va. 
January  23,  1863 

I  DO  wish  you  took  a  little  more  healthy  view  of  life. 
You  say  "whether  my  present  course  of  life  is  profit 
able  or  not  I  am  very  sure  yours  is  not."  Now,  my 
dear  fellow,  speak  for  yourself.  Your  life  may  be  un 
profitable  to  you,  and  if  it  is,  I  shall  have  my  own  ideas 
as  to  why  it  is  so;  but  I  shall  not  believe  it  is  until  I  see 
it  from  my  own  observation.  As  to  me  my  present  con 
viction  is  that  my  life  is  a  good  one  for  me  to  live,  and 
I  think  your  judgment  will  jump  with  mine  when  next 
we  meet.  I  can't  tell  how  you  feel  about  yourself,  but 
I  can  how  I  feel  about  myself,  and  I  assure  you  I  have 
the  instinct  of  growth  since  I  entered  the  army.  I  feel 
within  myself  that  I  am  more  of  a  man  and  a  better 
man  than  I  ever  was  before,  and  I  see  in  the  behavior 


238  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JAN.  23, 

of  those  around  me  and  in  the  faces  of  my  friends,  that 
I  am  a  better  fellow.  I  am  nearer  other  men  than  I  ever 
was  before,  and  the  contact  makes  me  more  human. 
I  am  on  better  terms  with  my  brother  men  and  they 
with  me.  You  may  say  that  my  mind  is  lying  fallow 
all  this  time.  Perhaps,  but  after  all  the  body  has  other 
functions  than  to  carry  round  the  head,  and  a  few 
years'  quiet  will  hardly  injure  a  mind  warped,  as  I 
sometimes  suspect  mine  was,  in  time  past  by  the  too 
constant  and  close  inspection  of  print.  I  never  should 
have  suspected  it  in  time  past,  but  to  my  surprise  I  find 
this  rough,  hard  life,  a  life  to  me  good  in  itself.  After 
being  a  regular,  quiet  respectable  stay-at-home  body 
in  my  youth,  lo!  at  twenty-seven  I  have  discovered 
that  I  never  knew  myself  and  that  nature  meant  me 
for  a  Bohemian — a  vagabond.  I  am  growing  and  de 
veloping  here  daily,  but  in  such  strange  directions. 
Let  not  my  father  try  to  tempt  me  back  into  my  office 
and  the  routine  of  business,  which  now  seems  to  sit  like 
a  terrible  incubus  on  my  past.  No!  he  must  make  up 
his  mind  to  that.  I  hope  my  late  letters  have  paved 
the  way  to  this  conviction  with  him.  If  not,  you  may 
as  well  break  it  to  him  gently;  but  the  truth  is  that 
going  back  to  Boston  and  its  old  tread-mill  is  one  of  the 
aspects  of  the  future  from  which  my  mind  fairly  re 
volts.  With  the  war  the  occupation  of  this  Othello's 
gone,  and  I  must  hit  on  a  new  one.  I  don't  trouble  my 
self  much  about  the  future,  for  I  fear  the  war  will  not 
be  over  for  years  to  come.  Of  course  I  don't  mean  this 
war,  in  its  present  form :  that  we  all  see  is  fast  drawing 
to  a  close;  but  indications  all  around  point  out  to  me 


1863.]  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  239 

a  troubled  future  in  which  the  army  will  play  an  im 
portant  part  for  good  or  evil,  and  needs  to  be  influenced 
accordingly.  I  shall  cast  my  fate  in  with  the  army  and 
the  moment  reorganization  takes  place  on  the  return 
of  peace  and  the  disbandment  of  volunteers  I  shall  do 
all  I  can  to  procure  the  highest  grade  in  the  new  army 
for  which  I  can  entertain  any  hope.  I  now  lament 
extremely  my  early  education  and  life.  I  would  I  had 
been  sent  to  boarding  school  and  made  to  go  into  the 
world  and  mix  with  men  more  than  my  nature  then 
inclined  me  to.  I  would  I  had  been  a  venturous, 
restive,  pugnacious  little  black-guard,  causing  my 
pa-r-i-ents  much  mental  anxiety.  In  that  case  I  should 
now  be  an  officer  not  at  all  such  as  I  am.  But  after  all 
it  is  n't  too  late  to  mend  and  enough  active  service 
may  supply  my  deficiencies  of  education  still.  Mean 
while  here  I  am,  and  here  I  am  contented  to  remain. 
The  furlough  fever  has  broken  out  in  our  regiment,  and 
the  officers,  right  and  left,  are  figuring  up  how  they  can 
get  home  for  a  time.  Three  only  of  us  are  untouched 
and  declare  that  we  would  n't  go  home  if  we  could,  and 
the  three  are  Greely  Curtis,  Henry  Higginson  and  my 
self.  Our  tents  and  the  regimental  lines  have  become 
our  homes.  .  .  . 

I  Ve  all  along  told  you,  you  ought  to  remain  in  Lon 
don,  and  I  say  so  still;  for  that  is  your  post  and,  pleas 
ant  or  unpleasant  there  you  should  remain.  I  have 
told  you  all  along,  however,  that  I  did  n't  like  the  tone 
of  your  letters.  Your  mind  has  become  morbid  and  is 
in  a  bad  way  —  for  yourself  —  both  for  the  mens  sana 
and  corpus  sanum.  A  year  of  this  life  would  be  most 


240  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JAN.  26, 

advantageous.  Your  mind  might  rest  and  your  body 
would  harden.  My  advice  to  you  is  to  wait  until  you 
can  honorably  leave  your  post  and  then  make  a  bolt 
into  the  wilderness,  go  to  sea  before  the  mast,  volun 
teer  for  a  campaign  in  Italy,  or  do  anything  singularly 
foolish  and  exposing  you  to  uncalled  for  hardship.  You 
may  think  my  advice  absurd  and  never  return  to  it 
again.  I  tell  you  I  know  you  and  I  have  tried  the  ex 
periment  on  myself,  and  I  here  suggest  what  you  most 
need,  and  what  you  will  never  be  a  man  without.  If 
you  joined  an  expedition  to  the  North  pole  you  might 
not  discover  that  terra  incognita,  but  you  would  dis 
cover  many  facts  about  yourself  which  would  amply 
repay  you  the  trouble  you  had  had.  All  a  man's  life 
is  not  meant  for  books,  or  for  travel  in  Europe.  Turn 
round  and  give  a  year  to  something  new,  such  as  I  have 
suggested,  and  if  you  are  thought  singular  you  will 
find  yourself  wise. 

Tuesday,  mh 

I  suppose  you  in  London  think  it  strange  that  I  do 
not  oftener  refer  to  the  war  in  my  letters  and  discuss 
movements.  The  truth  is  that  you  probably  know  far 
more  of  what  is  going  on  than  I  do,  who  rarely  see 
papers,  still  more  rarely  go  beyond  the  regimental  lines 
and  almost  never  meet  any  one  possessed  of  any  re 
liable  information.  As  a  rule,  so  far  as  my  knowledge 
goes,  the  letters  of  correspondents  of  the  press  are  very 
delusive.  They  get  their  information  from  newspaper 
generals  and  their  staffs  and  rarely  tell  what  they  see. 
Now  and  then,  very  rarely,  I  see  a  plain,  true,  out 
spoken  letter  of  an  evident  eye-witness.  The  small 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  241 

means  of  observation  I  have  are  enough,  however,  to 
convince  me  that  the  army  of  the  Potomac  is  thor 
oughly  demoralized.  They  will  fight  yet,  but  they 
fight  for  defeat,  just  as  a  brave,  bad  rider  will  face  a 
fence,  but  yet  rides  for  a  fall.  There  is  a  great  deal 
of  croaking,  no  confidence,  plenty  of  sickness,  and 
desertion  is  the  order  of  the  day.  This  arises  from 
various  causes;  partly  from  the  defeat  at  Fredericks- 
burg  and  the  failure,  but  mostly  from  the  change  of 
commanders  of  late.  You  or  others  may  wonder  or 
agree,  as  you  choose,  but  it  is  a  fact  that  McClellan 
alone  has  the  confidence  of  this  army.  They  would 
rally  and  fight  under  him  tomorrow  and  under  him 
only.  Burnside  has  lost,  and  Hooker  never  had  their 
confidence. 

Under  these  circumstances  my  mind  recurs  more 
and  more  to  the  plan  of  the  war  which  I  suggested  to 
you  in  my  last  letters  from  Hilton  Head,  after  the 
seven  days'  fight.  This  army  I  now  think  should  be 
broken  up  and  the  bulk  of  it  at  once  transferred  to  the 
South  West,  where  it  could  seize  and  hold  against 
everything  the  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi.  This 
would  give  us  that  river  and  its  tributaries,  including 
the  States  of  Tennessee  and  Kentucky;  it  would  cir 
cumscribe  and  ultimately  destroy  the  Southern  con 
federacy,  and  would  settle  forever  the  slavery  question 
in  the  young  South  West.  One  measure  alone  would  de 
cide  all  this :  let  the  army  know  that  they  are  to  have  the 
territory  they  occupy  and  Congress  pass  liberal  laws 
encouraging  the  army  to  settle  where  they  have  fought. 
I  think  that  at  least  100,000  fighting  men  would 


A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JAN.  26, 

become  coloni,  would  send  for  their  families  or  marry 
and  there  settle;  and  this  would  at  once  insure  to  that 
immense  country  inhabitants,  defenders  and  free  labor. 
This  would  be  now,  as  it  was  then,  my  plan  of  the  war, 
and  I  would  abandon  at  once  the  moral  effect  of  the 
capture  of  Richmond  in  favor  of  the  great  material 
fact  of  an  open  Mississippi.  That  this  will  be  the  future 
plan  of  the  war  there  are  already  indications,  but  I 
hardly  hope  that  we  shall  throw  our  whole  strength 
into  it,  as  we  should  to  insure  success.  I  have  given  up 
philosophising  and  do  not  often,  except  in  very  muddy 
weather  indulge  in  lamentation.  I  think  indeed  you 
in  London  will  all  bear  witness  that  my  letters,  under 
tolerably  adverse  circumstances,  have  been  reasonably 
cheerful,  and  I  hope  they  will  remain  so,  even  if  the 
days  become  blacker  than  these  blackest  days  I  ever 
saw.  We  all  feel  that  we  are  right  and  that  being  right, 
there  is  for  us  good  in  this  plan  of  Providence,  if  our 
philosophy  could  but  find  it  out.  Do  you  remember 
the  first  lines  of  the  last  chorus  in  Samson  Agonistes? 
They  begin,  "Though  we  oft  doubt,"  and  I  have  often 
tried  to  recall  them  lately,  but  cannot  get  them  all.  I 
hope  to  live  to  see  the  philosophy  of  this  struggle,  and 
see  the  day  when  the  Lord  "will  to  his  faithful  servant 
in  his  place,  bear  witness  gloriously."  Meanwhile,  if 
it  is  your  place  to  wield  the  pen,  to  my  no  small  as 
tonishment  I  find  the  sword  becoming  my  weapon  and, 
each  in  his  place,  we  are  working  off  our  shares  of  the 
coil.  Let  us  try  to  do  it  in  our  several  ways  to  the  best 
of  our  ability  and  uncomplainingly  receive  whatever 
fate  betides  us. 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  243 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  January  23,  1863 

THE  Emancipation  Proclamation  has  done  more  for 
us  here  than  all  our  former  victories  and  all  our  diplo 
macy.  It  is  creating  an  almost  convulsive  reaction  in 
our  favor  all  over  this  country.  The  London  Times 
furious  and  scolds  like  a  drunken  drab.  Certain  it  is 
is,  however,  that  public  opinion  is  very  deeply  stirred 
here  and  finds  expression  in  meetings,  addresses  to 
President  Lincoln,  deputations  to  us,  standing  com 
mittees  to  agitate  the  subject  and  to  affect  opinion,  and 
all  the  other  symptoms  of  a  great  popular  movement 
peculiarly  unpleasant  to  the  upper  classes  here  because 
it  rests  altogether  on  the  spontaneous  action  of  the 
laboring  classes  and  has  a  pestilent  squint  at  sympathy 
with  republicanism.  But  the  Times  is  on  its  last  legs 
and  has  lost  its  temper.  They  say  it  always  does  lose 
its  temper  when  it  finds  such  a  f eeling  too  strong  for  it, 
and  its  next  step  will  be  to  come  round  and  try  to  guide 
it.  We  are  much  encouraged  and  in  high  spirits.  If 
only  you  at  home  don't  have  disasters,  we  will  give 
such  a  checkmate  to  the  foreign  hopes  of  the  rebels  as 
they  never  yet  have  had.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  January  27,  1863 

SPRING  has  come  again  and  the  leaves  are  appearing 
for  the  third  time  and  we  are  still  here,  nor  does  there 


244  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JAN.  27. 

seem  any  immediate  probability  of  our  moving.  In 
fact  we  are  now  one  of  the  known  and  acknowledged 
units  of  the  London  and  English  world,  and  though 
politics  still  place  more  or  less  barriers  in  our  path,  the 
majority  of  people  receive  us  much  as  they  would  Eng 
lishmen,  and  seem  to  consider  us  as  such.  I  have  been 
much  struck  by  the  way  in  which  they  affect  to  dis 
tinguish  here  between  us  and  "foreigners";  that  is, 
persons  who  don't  speak  English.  The  great  difficulty 
is  in  the  making  acquaintances,  for  London  acquaint 
ances  are  nothing. 

After  a  fortnight's  violent  pulling,  pushing,  threaten 
ing,  shaking,  cursing  and  coaxing,  almost  entirely  done 
through  private  channels,  we  have  at  least  succeeded 
in  screwing  the  Government  up  to  what  promises  to  be 
a  respectable  position.  How  steady  it  will  be,  I  don't 
know,  nor  how  far  they  will  declare  themselves,  do  I 
know.  But  between  our  Government  at  home  and  our 
active  and  energetic  allies  here,  we  seem  to  have  made 
progress.  I  went  last  night  to  a  meeting  of  which  I 
shall  send  you  a  report;  a  democratic  and  socialist 
meeting,  most  threatening  and  dangerous  to  the  estab 
lished  state  of  things;  and  assuming  a  tone  and  pro 
portions  that  are  quite  novel  and  alarming  in  this  capi 
tal.  And  they  met  to  notify  Government  that  "they 
would  not  tolerate"  interference  against  us.  I  can  as 
sure  you  this  sort  of  movement  is  as  alarming  here  as 
a  slave  insurrection  would  be  in  the  South,  and  we 
have  our  hands  on  the  springs  that  can  raise  or  pacify 
such  agitators,  at  least  as  regards  our  own  affairs,  they 
making  common  cause  with  us.  I  never  quite  appreci- 


A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  245 

ated  the  "moral  influence  "  of  American  democracy,  nor 
the  cause  that  the  privileged  classes  in  Europe  have  to 
fear  us,  until  I  saw  how  directly  it  works.  At  this  mo 
ment  the  American  question  is  organizing  a  vast  mass 
of  the  lower  orders  in  direct  contact  with  the  wealthy. 
They  go  our  whole  platform  and  are  full  of  the  "rights 
of  man."  The  old  revolutionary  leaven  is  working  stead 
ily  in  England.  You  can  find  millions  of  people  who 
look  up  to  our  institutions  as  their  model  and  who  talk 
with  utter  contempt  of  their  own  system  of  Govern 
ment.  Within  three  months  this  movement  has  taken 
a  development  that  has  placed  all  our  enemies  on  the 
defensive;  has  driven  Palmerston  to  sue  for  peace  and 
Lord  Russell  to  proclaim  a  limited  sympathy.  I  will 
not  undertake  to  say  where  it  will  stop,  but  were  I  an 
Englishman  I  should  feel  nervous.  We  have  strength 
enough  already  to  shake  the  very  crown  on  the  Queen's 
head  if  we  are  compelled  to  employ  it  all.  You  are  not  to 
suppose  that  we  are  intriguing  to  create  trouble.  I  do 
not  believe  that  all  the  intrigue  in  the  world  could  create 
one  of  these  great  demonstrations  of  sympathy.  But 
where  we  have  friends,  there  we  shall  have  support,  and 
those  who  help  us  will  do  it  of  their  own  free  will.  There 
are  few  of  the  thickly  populated  districts  of  England 
where  we  have  not  the  germs  of  an  organisation  that 
may  easily  become  democratic  as  it  is  already  anti- 
slavery.  With  such  a  curb  on  the  upper  classes,  I  think 
they  will  do  little  more  harm  to  us. 

The  conduct  of  the  affairs  of  that  great  republic 
which  though  wounded  itself  almost  desperately,  can 
yet  threaten  to  tear  down  the  rulers  of  the  civilised 


246  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JAN.  28, 

world,  by  merely  assuming  her  place  at  the  head  of  the 
march  of  democracy,  is  something  to  look  upon.  I 
wonder  whether  we  shall  be  forced  to  call  upon  the 
brothers  of  the  great  fraternity  to  come  in  all  lands  to 
the  assistance  and  protection  of  its  head.  These  are 
lively  times,  oh,  Hannibal. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Camp  near  Potomac  Run,  Va. 
January  28,  1863 

THE  fine  weather  seems  fairly  to  be  over  and  the  wet 
season  to  have  set  in.  In  addition  to  the  week  of  rain 
before,  which  played  Burnside  out,  it  rained  steadily 
all  last  night  and  this  morning  set  in  from  the  N.E. 
with  sleet  and  snow,  and  is  at  it  now  very  lively.  The 
results  of  this  you  may  imagine,  but  I  dare  not.  For 
myself  it  is  of  little  consequence.  My  tent  is  logged  up, 
I  have  a  good  fire-place,  a  pretty  complete  outfit  and 
am  as  comfortable  as  I  have  any  wish  to  be;  but  I  feel 
for  my  men  and  dare  not  go  and  look  at  my  horses. 
I  know  just  how  they  look,  as  they  huddle  together 
at  the  picket-ropes  and  turn  their  shivering  croups  to 
this  pelting  north  easter.  There  they  stand  without 
shelter,  fetlock  deep  in  slush  and  mud,  without  a 
blanket  among  them,  and  there  they  must  stand  — 
poor  beasts  —  and  all  I  can  do  for  them  is  to  give  them 
all  the  food  I  can,  and  that  little  enough.  Of  oats  there 
is  a  sufficiency  and  the  horses  have  twelve  quarts  a  day; 
but  hay  is  scant,  and  it  is  only  by  luck  that  we  have  a 
few  bales  just  now  when  most  we  need  them.  I  have 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  247 

them  fed  four  times  a  day  —  at  morning,  noon,  night 
and  midnight  —  and  if  they  have  enough  to  eat,  they 
do  wonderfully  well,  but  it  comes  hard  on  them  to  have 
to  sustain  hunger,  as  well  as  cold  and  wet.  It  is  all  over, 
however,  with  any  horse  that  begins  to  fail,  for  after 
a  few  days  he  either  dies  at  the  rope,  or  else  glanders 
set  in  and  he  is  led  out  and  shot.  I  lose  in  this  way 
two  or  three  horses  a  week.  The  men  do  better  now, 
as  they  too  have  logged  in  their  tents  and  built  fire 
places,  and,  as  a  rule,  they  are  well  clad  and  shod;  but, 
after  all,  it  comes  hard  on  them,  this  being  wet  and 
always  sleeping  on  damp  ground,  and  we  have  had 
five  funerals  this  month,  one  from  the  fall  of  a  horse 
and  four  from  sickness,  one  of  which  was  in  my  com 
pany  —  a  boy,  named  Pierce,  from  the  central  part 
of  the  State. 

I  had  two  men  desert  the  other  day  also,  and  under 
peculiar  circumstances.  They  were  two  of  our  recruits 
and  did  not  properly  belong  to  my  Company,  but  were 
assigned  to  it  for  duty.  They  had  cost  the  Government 
some  three  hundred  dollars  each  and  were  good  for 
nothing,  as  by  far  too  many  of  these  "bounty-boys" 
are.  They  were  sent  out  as  part  of  a  detail  for  picket 
duty  from  my  Company,  under  Lieutenant  Merrill. 
On  the  night  of  the  8th  of  January  they  were  posted  at 
an  important  point  on  the  extreme  front  of  our  lines, 
and  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Hart  wood  Church. 
When  the  patrol  came  round  they  had  disappeared. 
The  case  was  reported  and  I  supposed  that  they  had 
grown  cold  and  drowsy  and  been  ingeniously  spirited 
away  by  guerrillas  —  for  such  things  are  done.  At 


248  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JAN.  28, 

the  end  of  ten  days  however  one  of  our  men  acciden 
tally  found  their  horses  tied  to  a  tree  in  the  woods  near 
their  posts,  all  saddled,  just  as  the  men  had  left  them, 
and  on  the  saddles  were  hanging  all  the  men's  arms,  ex 
cept  their  pistols.  There  the  poor  brutes  had  stood  for 
ten  days,  without  food  or  water,  until  one  had  died  in 
the  agonies  of  starvation,  and  the  other,  having  gnawed 
up  all  the  trees  around  him,  was  reduced  to  a  walking 
skeleton.  This  last,  however,  is  alive  and  now  at  my 
picket-rope.  (P.  S.  He  died  of  exposure  the  next  morn 
ing  after  I  wrote  this.)  Meanwhile  the  human  brutes, 
this  brace  of  $300.  men,  had,  I  find,  quietly  deserted 
their  posts  as  videttes  and  walked  off,  enquiring  their 
way  to  Warrenton  and  leaving  their  horses  and  arms, 
except  pistols,  as  too  likely  to  lead  to  their  being 
caught  —  their  design  evidently  being  to  get  through 
our  lines  near  Alexandria  and  so  North.  Meanwhile  I 
am  doing  all  in  my  power  to  catch  them  by  notifying 
the  authorities  in  Washington  and  at  home.  Should  I 
succeed,  their  fate  is  not  to  be  envied.  They  will  be 
court  martialed  and  probably  shot.  If  not  shot,  they 
will  suffer  some  terrible  military  punishment  at  the 
Tortugas.  .  .  . 

Meanwhile  peace  reigns  once  more  in  our  domes 
tic  affairs  —  a  very  lively  storm  has  purified  the  air. 
Colonel  Sargent  went  on  in  his  career  until  one  day  he 
put  Lieut.  Col.  Curtis  under  arrest  and  then  the  storm 
burst.  I  rode  over  and  stated  our  case  to  General 
Buchanan  and  he  advised  me  as  to  the  proper  course 
to  pursue,  and  the  next  day  Sargent  found  his  head  in  a 
hornet's  nest.  Curtis  forwarded  a  complaint  on  his 


MAJOR  HENRY  LEE  HIGGINSON 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  249 

arrest  to  General  Averell.  Major  Higginson  as  next 
in  command  forwarded  a  paper  in  behalf  of  his  brother 
officers  to  General  Hooker,  through  Colonel  Sargent, 
setting  forth  the  Colonel's  utter  ignorance  and  glaring 
incompetence,  and  prepared  a  similar  paper  for  Gover 
nor  Andrew;  and  Dr.  Holland  was  brought  up  to  the 
point  of  preferring  charges  against  him  for  unwarrant 
able  interference  with  the  sick.  At  first  the  Colonel 
showed  signs  of  bulling  ahead  to  his  destruction,  but 
General  Averell  sent  for  him,  Curtis  and  Higginson, 
and  the  last  two  stated  the  regimental  grievances  to 
General  Averell  in  Sargent's  presence,  glossing  nothing. 
Sargent  asked:  "On  account  of  what  vice  am  I  incom 
petent  to  command  this  regiment?"  To  which  Curtis 
answered:  "On  account  of  no  vice,  Sir;  you  are  simply 
utterly  incompetent,"  and  so  on,  and  referred  him  as 
authority  to  the  Company  officers.  Averell  was  very 
anxious  that  "an  arrangement"  should  be  effected,  and 
requested  them  to  consult  together.  Sargent  came  back 
to  camp  and  sent  for  some  of  the  officers  —  his  peculiar 
favorites.  They  all  came  up  to  the  mark  and  plainly 
informed  him  that  he  was  not  able  to  run  the  machine. 
He  then  sent  for  Curtis  and  Higginson  and  the  three 
had  a  long  discussion,  the  result  of  which  was  that 
Curtis  was  released,  Higginson  withdrew  his  papers 
and  peace  was  restored.  .  .  . 

Friday,  the  BOth 

I  think  you  may  as  well  make  up  your  mind  to  pass 
ing  the  remaining  two  years  of  your  term  abroad.  The 
war  is  on  its  last  legs  and  it  would  hardly  pay  for 


250  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [JAN.  so, 

England  to  abandon  her  neutral  policy  now,  simply  to 
get  into  a  quarrel  and  revive  our  dying  spirit.  We  are 
playing  her  game  better  ourselves.  Whatever  Cab 
inets  and  correspondents  may  say  to  the  contrary,  I 
feel  persuaded  that  unless  we  have  rapid  and  brilliant 
successes  in  the  southwest  soon,  and  those  leading  to 
something,  the  fighting  in  Virginia  is  over.  The  New 
York  Herald  may  say  what  it  pleases,  but  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  is  at  present  fearfully  demoralised.  Even 
I  can  see  that,  small  means  of  observation  as  I  have. 
You  can  have  no  idea  of  the  disgust  felt  here  towards 
the  Government.  Unable  to  run  the  army  themselves, 
they  take  away  McClellan,  and  when  that  leads  to  ter 
rible  disaster,  they  cashier  Fitz  John  Porter,  one  of  the 
best  general  officers  we  have;  and  now  relieve  Burn- 
side,  one  of  our  best  corps  commanders,  ridiculously 
displaced  by  these  very  men;  Sumner,  the  hardest 
fighter  and  best  man  to  take  or  hold  a  position  in  the 
whole  army,  and  Franklin,  on  the  whole  considered  the 
ablest  officer  we  have  —  all  this  that  Hooker  may  be 
placed  in  command,  a  man  who  has  not  the  confidence 
of  the  army  and  who  in  private  character  is  well  known 
to  be  —  I  need  not  say  what.  This  army,  now,  does 
not  know  under  whom  it  is  fighting.  Government  has 
taken  from  it  every  single  one  of  its  old  familiar  battle 
names,  save  Hooker's.  I  most  earnestly  hope  it  will 
now  break  up  the  army,  else  some  day  it  will  have  it 
marching  on  Washington.  .  .  . 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  251 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

'  London,  January  30, 1863 

POLITICALLY  things  go  on  swimmingly  here.  The  anti- 
slavery  feeling  of  the  country  is  coming  out  stronger 
than  we  ever  expected,  and  all  the  English  politicians 
have  fairly  been  thrown  over  by  their  people.  There 
was  a  meeting  last  night  at  Exeter  Hall  which  is  likely 
to  create  a  revolution,  or  rather  to  carry  on  a  com 
plete  revolution  in  public  opinion  which  was  begun  by 
the  great  Manchester  Meeting  on  the  31st  Decem 
ber.  Last  night's  meeting  was  something  tremen 
dous,  unheard  of  since  the  days  of  reform.  The  cry 
was  "Emancipation  and  reunion"  and  the  spirit  was 
dangerously  in  sympathy  with  republicanism.  The 
Strand  was  blocked  up  in  front  of  Exeter  Hall  by  those 
who  could  n't  get  in,  and  speeches  were  made  in  the 
street  as  well  as  in  another  hall  opened  to  accommo 
date  a  part  of  the  surplus.  As  for  enthusiasm,  my 
friend  Tom  Brown  of  Rugby  school-days,  who  was  one 
of  the  speakers,  had  to  stop  repeatedly  and  beg  the 
people  not  to  cheer  so  much.  Every  allusion  to  the 
South  was  followed  by  groaning,  hisses  and  howls,  and 
the  enthusiasm  for  Lincoln  and  for  everything  con 
nected  with  the  North  was  immense.  The  effect  of 
such  a  display  will  be  very  great,  and  I  think  we  may 
expect  from  Lancashire  on  the  arrival  of  the  George 
Griswold,  a  response  that  will  make  some  noise. 

Next  week  Parliament  will  meet.    Of  course  it  will 
bring  hot  water,  but  the  sentiment  of  the  country  will 


A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [FEB.  13, 

not  tolerate  any  interference  with  us.  I  breath  more 
easily  about  this  than  ever.  My  main  anxiety  is  about 
the  Alabama  case,  which  has  been  the  subject  of  the 
sharpest  kind  of  notes  between  the  Chief  and  Lord 
Russell.  As  these  notes  will  probably  now  be  pub 
lished,  I  can  say  that  in  my  opinion  my  Lord  has  been 
dreadfully  used  up,  and  if  you  don't  howl  with  delight 
when  you  read  the  Chief's  note  to  him  of  30th  Decem 
ber,  you  won't  do  what  I  did.  But  our  cue  is  still 
friendship,  and  we  don't  want  to  irritate.  The  strong 
outside  pressure  that  is  now  aroused  to  act  on  this 
Government  will,  I  hope,  help  us  to  carry  through  all 
we  want  in  time  and  with  patience. 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  February  13,  1863 

THE  last  week  here  has  been  politically  very  quiet.  I 
am  surprised  at  it,  for  I  thought  that  the  meeting  of 
Parliament  would  set  the  floods  going.  Lord  Derby, 
however,  put  his  foot  on  any  interference  with  us,  on 
the  first  night  of  the  session,  and  so  we  have  obtained 
a  temporary  quiet.  But  the  feeling  among  the  upper 
classes  is  more  bitter  and  angry  than  ever,  and  the 
strong  popular  feeling  of  sympathy  with  us  is  gradually 
dividing  the  nation  into  aristocrats  and  democrats, 
and  may  produce  pretty  serious  results  for  England. 

Society  is  beginning.  As  it  is  almost  certainly  the 
last  season  I  shall  pass  in  London,  I  intend  to  see  all 
I  can.  Society  in  London  certainly  has  its  pleasures, 
and  I  found  an  example  of  this,  the  other  evening.  We 


THE  DUKE  OF  ARGYLL 


1863.]  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  253 

were  asked  to  dinner  at  the  Duke  of  Argyll's,  who  is 
a  warm  friend  of  ours,  as  well  as  the  Duchess  who  is 
daughter  of  the  anti-slavery  Duchess  of  Sutherland. 
The  party  was  evidently  asked  on  purpose  to  meet  us. 
There  was  Lord  Clyde,  who  always  has  his  hair  on  end 
and  never  seems  to  talk;  Charles  P.  Villiers,  a  friendly 
member  of  the  Cabinet;  Charles  Howard,  a  brother  of 
Lord  Carlisle;  John  Stuart  Mill  the  logician  and  econo 
mist,  a  curious  looking  man  with  a  sharp  nose,  a  wen 
on  his  forehead  and  a  black  cravat,  to  whom  I  took 
particular  pains  to  be  introduced,  as  I  think  him  about 
the  ablest  man  in  England;  very  retiring  and  em 
barrassed  in  his  manner,  and  a  mighty  weapon  of  de 
fense  for  our  cause  in  this  country.  Then  there  was  the 
famous  physician,  Dr.  Brown-Sequard;  then  Professor 
Owen,  the  famous  naturalist,  geologist,  palaeontolo 
gist  and  so  on,  whom  I  have  met  before.  Then  came 
Lord  Frederick  Cavendish  whom  you  know.  .  .  .  You 
know  your  friend  "Lord  Fwedewick's"  style  of  cos 
tume  in  America.  It 's  not  much  better  here.  If  a  man 
chooses  to  neglect  rules  he  can  do  it  in  London  though 
not  with  impunity.  As  for  example,  our  friend  and 
cousin  the  phenomenon  who  has  just  graduated  at  the 
university  with  much  lower  honors  than  we  had  hoped 
for  him.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  February  27,  1863 

HAVE  you  ever  seen  the  narrative  by  the  Prince  of 
Joinville  of  the  events  of  the  campaign  of  McClellan 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  255 


CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Camp  of  the  1st  Mass.  Cav'y 
Potomac  Bridge,  Va.,  March  8,  1863 


AT  nine  o'clock  on  the  25th  we  set  out  for  Hartwood,1 
which  is  the  somewhat  famous  centre  of  our  Bri 
gade  picket  line,  and  some  ten  miles  from  here.  Our 
lines  run  from  the  Rappahannock  to  Acquia  Creek,  a 
length  of  some  eighteen  miles  and  covering  the  whole 
right  flank  of  our  army.  The  morning  was  bright  and 
sunny,  the  roads  very  heavy  and  the  snow  melting 
fast.  We  looked  on  our  business  as  rather  a  lark  and 
rode  leisurely  along  enjoying  the  fine  day  and  taking 
our  time.  At  half  past  twelve  we  entered  the  woods 
within  half  a  mile  of  our  picket  reserve,  and  just  then 
Major  Robinson  of  the  3d  Perm.,  who,  with  Captain 
Blood,  a  curious  nondescript  from  the  4th  Penn.  made 
up  of  whiskey  and  dullness,  and  myself,  constituted 
our  board,  said:  "Oh!  there's  a  carbine  shot,"  and  we 
trudged  along.  Like  Bull  Run  Russell,  I  am  now  about 
to  tell  you  things  which  I  myself  saw.  A  few  paces 
further  on  we  were  challenged  by  a  vidette  and  Robin 
son  rode  forward  and  explained  our  business.  He  spoke 
to  the  man,  and  just  then  I  heard  a  few  more  shots  and 
Robinson  shouted  to  me:  "Hurry  up,  there's  a  fight 
going  on,"  and  began  to  press  on  through  the  road, 
knee  deep  in  mud.  I  was  picking  my  way  through  the 
woods  and,  in  my  disbelief,  replied:  "Well,  I  can't 
hurry  up  in  these  roads,  even  if  there  is."  The  words 

1  To  assess  damages  done  to  property  of  loyal  men  near  Hartwood 
Church.  Three  officers  constituted  the  board. 


256  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS    [MARCH  8, 

were  scarcely  out  of  my  mouth  when  I  saw  good  cause 
to  jam  the  spurs  into  my  horse  and  hurry  up  indeed. 
Pell-mell,  without  order,  without  lead,  a  mass  of  panic- 
stricken  men,  riderless  horses  and  miserable  cowards, 
our  picket  reserve  came  driving  down  the  road  upon 
us,  in  hopeless  flight.  Along  they  came,  carrying  help 
less  officers  with  them,  throwing  away  arms  and  blan 
kets,  and  in  the  distance  we  heard  a  few  carbine  shots 
and  the  unmistakable  savage  yell  of  the  rebels. 

We  drew  our  sabres  and  got  in  the  way  of  the  fugi 
tives,  shouting  to  them  to  turn  into  the  woods  and  show 
a  front  to  the  enemy.  Some  only  dashed  past,  but  most 
obeyed  us  stupidly  and  I  rode  into  the  woods  to  try 
and  form  a  line  of  skirmishers.  But  that  yell  sprung 
up  nearer,  and  in  a  twinkling  my  line  vanished  to  the 
rear.  Nor  was  this  the  worst.  The  panic  seized  my 
horse  and  he  set  his  jaw  like  iron  against  the  bit  and 
dashed  off  after  the  rest.  Oh!  it  was  disgraceful! 
Worse  than  disgraceful,  it  was  ludicrous!!  My  horse 
dashed  through  the  woods  —  thick  woods  —  both  feet 
were  knocked  out  of  the  stirrups,  I  was  banged  against 
the  trees,  my  hat  was  knocked  over  my  eyes,  I  could 
not  return  my  sabre,  but  I  clung  to  the  saddle  like  a 
monkey,  expecting  every  instant  to  be  knocked  out  of 
it  and  to  begin  my  travels  to  Richmond.  This  went  on 
for  a  couple  of  hundred  yards,  when  at  last  I  got  my 
horse  under,  and  out  of  the  woods  into  the  road,  when 
I  found  myself  galloping  along  with  the  rear  of  the 
fugitives,  side  by  side  with  Major  Robinson.  "My 
God!  Adams,"  said  he,  "this  is  terrible!  This  is  dis 
graceful."  "Thank  God,"  I  replied,  "I  am  the  only 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  257 

man  of  my  regiment  here  today."  "Well  you  may," 
said  he. 

Something  had  to  be  done  to  rally  the  men  however 
at  once,  else  we  should  soon  find  ourselves  rushing,  a 
mob,  onto  the  infantry  pickets  two  miles  behind.  I 
said  I  would  go  ahead  and  try  to  stop  and  rally  the  last 
of  the  column,  and  I  let  my  horse  out.  The  fresh  pow 
erful  animal  shot  by  the  poor  worn  out  government 
brutes  and  did  some  tall  running  through  the  Virginia 
mud  and  soon  brought  me  out  of  the  woods  into  a 
broad  field.  Here  I  turned  and  blocked  the  road,  and 
pulled  and  stormed  and  swore.  Some  hurried  by 
through  the  woods  and  across  the  fields,  but  a  number 
stopped  and  Robinson  began  to  form  a  line,  such  as  it 
was.  Here  at  once  I  learned  the  cause  of  the  panic. 
Nearly  all  the  men  belonged  to  a  new  and  miserable 
regiment,  the  16th  Penn.  They  had  never  been  under 
fire  before,  were  Pennsylvanians  and  —  ran  like  sheep. 
We  got  some  thirty  men  in  one  line  and  I  was  busy 
forming  another,  but  what  lines!  No  two  men  knew 
each  other,  their  officers  were  gone,  God  only  knew 
where!  Not  one  face  had  I  ever  seen  before,  and  a 
glance  showed  me  not  one  man  could  be  relied  on. 
They  were  all  squinting  behind  them.  In  less  than  two 
minutes  the  enemy  was  on  us. 

Meanwhile  Robinson  had  sent  Lieut.  Colonel  Jones, 
an  old  incompetent  of  his  own  regiment  who  had  had 
command  of  the  pickets,  to  the  rear  to  rally  the  fugi 
tives  and  had  taken  command.  I  had  sent  Blood  off 
on  the  same  errand.  Meanwhile  the  hompesun  coats 
dashed  out  of  the  woods,  or  we  could  see  them  riding 


258  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS    [MARCH  8, 

through  them,  and  instantly  Robinson's  line  began  to 
vanish,  to  dissolve.  He  shouted  to  them  to  fire  and  an 
abortive  volley  was  the  result.  Poor  as  it  was  it  did  the 
work.  A  few  saddles  were  emptied  and  the  rebs  grew 
at  once  more  prudent.  But  alas !  If  it  scared  the  rebs, 
it  scared  my  line  also,  which  was  forming  a  little  to  the 
right  and  rear  and  I  saw  the  rascals  wavering  on  the 
verge  of  a  panic,  while  I  heard  Robinson  calling  on 
them  to  come  up,  for  his  men  were  leaving.  "I  clearly 
can't  drive  them,"  thought  I,  "perhaps  they'll  follow 
me,"  and  I  spurred  my  horse  forward  and  shouted, 
"Come  on,  follow  me,  there  they  are,"  waving  my 
sword  —  all  in  the  most  improved  patterns;  but  the 
disciples  of  Penn  did  n't  see  it  in  that  light,  and  as  I 
looked  over  my  shoulder  I  saw  my  line  vanishing  from 
both  flanks  and  the  centre  on  the  road  home.  Then 
wrath  seized  my  soul  and  I  uttered  a  yell  and  chased 
them.  I  caught  a  hapless  cuss  and  cut  him  over  the 
head  with  my  sabre.  It  only  lent  a  new  horror  and 
fresh  speed  to  his  flight.  I  whanged  another  over  the 
face  and  he  tarried  for  a  while.  Into  a  third  I  drove  my 
horse  and  gave  him  pause,  and  then  I  swore  and  cursed 
them.  I  called  them  "curs,"  "dogs,"  and  "cowards," 
a  "disgrace  to  the  16th  Pennsylvania,  as  the  16th  was 
a  disgrace  to  the  service,"  and  so  I  finally  prevailed  on 
about  half  of  my  line  to  stop  for  this  time. 

Meanwhile  the  firing  had  ceased  and  no  more  rebs 
were  in  sight.  I  joined  Robinson  and  we  debated  what 
was  to  be  done.  The  enemy's  fire  had  done  us  no  harm 
and  one  dead  body  was  in  the  road  before  us.  Our 
men  were  utterly  surprised  by  the  effect  of  their  one 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  259 

wretched  volley,  but  alas !  they  were  no  more  reliable, 
and  as  I  glanced  at  those  feeble  undecided  faces,  I 
trembled  lest  the  enemy  should  attack  us  again.  Oh! 
thought  I,  for  my  own  company !  I  felt  rejoiced  that 
they  were  out  of  that  scrape,  but  I  realized  how  good 
and  reliable  they  were.  In  a  few  minutes  we  had  settled 
on  a  sort  of  plan  and  I  went  into  the  woods  with  a 
dozen  men  to  cover  our  flank  and  skirmish.  I  scattered 
my  men  along  and  encouraged  them  with  the  informa 
tion  that  at  the  first  sign  of  wavering  I  should  shoot  the 
first  man  I  came  to,  and  I  portentously  flourished  my 
pistol.  In  fact  I  think  I  should  have  done  so  then,  for 
it  could  have  done  no  harm  at  this  stage  of  the  game. 
Before  I  had  not  dared  to,  as  I  felt  that  if  I  did,  these 
men,  so  green  and  undisciplined,  would  only  run  away 
from  me  as  well  as  the  enemy,  and  what  we  wanted  was 
to  get  them  to  stand  and  stop  running.  Anyhow  I 
deployed  my  skirmishers,  such  as  they  were. 

We  saw  nothing  of  any  enemy  and  presently  I  re 
turned  to  Major  Robinson  to  settle  on  some  plan  of 
operations.  I  told  him  I  was  ready  to  take  the  of 
fensive  and  charge  of  the  skirmishers,  if  he  was  ready 
to  advance,  and  finally  he  gave  me  some  more  men  and 
we  began  operations.  I  extended  my  line  through  the 
woods  to  the  open  fields  beyond  and  began  to  advance. 
The  ground  was  covered  with  snow,  but  the  woods 
were  so  thick  that  I  could  not  see  more  than  a  third  of 
my  line  at  once.  However  I  pushed  steadily  forward 
and  in  a  short  time  heard  some  one  calling  to  me.  I 
rode  up  and  found  two  or  three  of  my  men  standing 
round  a  veritable  grey  coat,  with  an  officer's  chevrons 


A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS    [MARCH  8, 

on,  near  a  tree,  by  which  two  horses  were  standing  and 
at  the  foot  of  which  lay  a  man,  one  glance  at  whom 
satisfied  me  that  his  course  was  run.  As  I  came  up  the 
unhurt  man  approached  me  and  told  me  he  was  a  Cap 
tain  and  my  prisoner;  that  the  wounded  man  was  his 
Lieutenant  and  friend,  and  that  he  had  remained  to 
look  after  him,  and,  adding  with  much  agitation:  "We 
have  always  tried  to  have  your  men  who  have  fallen 
into  our  hands  well  treated,  and  we  hope  you  will  do 
the  same.  At  least,  let  me  have  a  surgeon  for  my 
friend."  The  poor  fellow  was  lying  in  the  snow  at  the 
foot  of  the  tree,  shot  through  the  abdomen  and  now 
and  again  writhing  in  pain.  And  how  could  I  look  on 
him  wholly  without  feeling?  And  yet  I  did  just  that. 
No  one  who  has  not  felt  it  knows  what  a  brutaliser  war 
is !  My  duty  was  clear  and  I  did  n't  feel  an  instant's 
hesitation.  I  assured  the  prisoner  that  I  did  not  doubt 
he  had  always  behaved  with  humanity,  that  his  friend 
should  receive  all  possible  care;  asked  him  a  few  hurried 
questions  and  then  told  him  he  must  leave  his  friend 
and  go  to  Major  Robinson  as  a  prisoner.  I  took  away 
their  arms  and  parted  them.  They  shook  hands,  the  dy 
ing  man  begging  his  friend  to  tell  his  family  of  his  death, 
and  his  friend  almost  crying  as  he  wrung  his  hand  and 
left  him  expiring  there  on  the  snow  in  the  woods  — 
alone  —  for  my  men  could  not  stop.  I  went  back  to 
Robinson  with  the  prisoner  to  see  how  his  information 
would  affect  our  plans,  and  in  a  few  minutes  went  back 
to  my  men  in  the  woods  and  have  not  seen  the  pris 
oner  or  the  wounded  man  since.  The  last  Robinson  had 
carried  into  a  neighboring  house  where  he  died  in  a  few 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  261 

hours,  I  believe  and  hope  with  his  Captain  by  his  side; 
but  I  have  since  often  thought  of  that  scene  in  the 
woods  and  it  has  brought  very  near  to  me  the  horrors 
of  war. 

Now  however  I  was  very  busy  pushing  forward  my 
line  and  trying  to  discover  where  the  enemy  were.  We 
could  see  them  in  force  on  the  left  across  some  fields, 
but  not  in  the  woods  in  front.  I  sent  Blood  into  the 
fields  with  six  men  to  observe  them  and  cover  my 
flank  and  have  n't  seen  him  since.  Somehow,  no  one 
knows  how,  the  cuss  contrived  to  get  captured  about 
an  hour  later.  I  can't  imagine  how  he  did  it,  but  he 
has  n't  been  heard  of  since.  Well,  I  pushed  steadily  on 
and  presently  came  to  our  old  line  of  picket  and  found 
myself  with  about  twenty  men  left.  I  sent  three  by 
the  road  to  the  right,  three  to  the  left,  leaving  the  rest 
as  reserve.  I  went  a  few  hundred  yards  and  saw  a 
body  of  men  drawn  up  on  the  skirts  of  the  woods. 
Were  they  friends  or  foes?  I  halted  my  men  and  rode 
forward  and  called  to  them,  but  they  made  no  answer. 
My  men  insisted  on  it  they  were  rebels.  If  so,  I  was 
way  ahead  of  our  forces  and  in  a  dangerous  place,  but 
I  could  not  believe  it.  They  soon  settled  my  doubts, 
for  I  heard  an  order  given  for  a  party  to  go  down  and 
drive  me  back,  and  down  they  came.  They  had  car 
bines  and  we  had  not,  and  they  called  on  us  to  sur 
render.  As  they  approached  I  told  my  men  to  fall  back, 
and  two  of  them  at  once  vanished  into  the  woods, 
while  one  advanced,  stood  stock  still,  as  if  fascinated, 
and,  I  suppose,  surrendered. 

As  for  me,  finding  myself  alone,  after  in  vain  calling 


A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [MARCH  8, 

on  the  man  to  fall  back  and  not  shooting  him  at  once, 
as  I  should  have  done,  I  fell  back  myself.  I  knew  I 
could  rely  on  my  horse  and  cared  little  for  the  enemy, 
keeping  just  so  far  in  front  watching  them.  Presently 
the  one  in  advance  of  the  rest  saw  my  reserve  and  pulled 
up,  and  then  took  a  long,  deliberate  aim  and  sent  a 
bullet  after  me.  I  had  never  had  a  bead  drawn  on 
me  before  and  the  sensation  was  now  not  disagreeable. 
I  was  cantering  slowly  along  watching  my  well-wisher 
over  my  shoulder  and,  as  he  aimed  away,  I  pleasantly 
reflected:  "You're  mounted,  I'm  in  motion,  and  the 
more  you  aim  the  less  you'll  hit";  and  then  the  ball 
whistled  harmlessly  by,  and  we  both  stopped  and  he 
went  back  and  molested  me  no  more.  Then  came  mo 
ments  of  doubt.  A  skirmish  began  with  yelling  and 
shooting  where  he  came  from.  Who  could  be  there  and 
fighting?  And  I  saw  skirmishers  coming  up  in  my  rear. 
Oh  Lord !  thinks  I,  I  have  got  ahead  of  our  forces  with 
twelve  men  and  here  are  the  rebels  in  my  rear.  Where 
is  Blood?  and  I  cast  anxious  glances  into  the  woods  for 
a  line  of  retreat  and  began  to  fall  back.  But  the  ad 
vancing  line  proved  to  be  the  1st  Rhode  Island  and 
at  last  light  began  to  dawn  on  me.  Our  picket  reserve 
had  been  divided  and  I  had  fallen  in  with  one  portion, 
while  of  the  existence  of  the  other  on  my  left  all  day 
I  had  been  wholly  ignorant  and  had  so  blundered 
ahead  of  them  and  onto  the  enemy's  flank.  Now  they 
had  come  up  and  a  skirmish  was  in  progress.  I  turned 
back  and  again  advanced,  but  when  I  reached  my  old 
place  the  skirmish  was  over.  Fitzhugh  Lee  had  ac 
complished  his  object,  left  us  his  compliments  by  the 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  263 

widow  Coakley,  and  gone  off  with,  as  it  now  appears, 
about  120  horses  and  prisoners.  I  rode  forward  and 
again  had  a  prisoner  announce  himself  as  at  my  dis 
posal.  This  one  had  been  left  behind  with  two  more 
wounded  men  at  the  widow  Coakley's,  and  from  her 
fair  daughters  I  grimly  received  General  Lee's  com 
pliments. 

It  was  now  evening  and  my  thoughts  fondly  turned 
on  home  and  the  delights  of  my  tent.  I  saw  the  offi 
cers  who  had  that  day  come  out  on  picket,  and  deeply 
compassionated  them,  but  did  n't  offer  my  assistance 
for  the  night.  I  found  Major  Robinson  and,  at  last, 
as  night  was  falling  persuaded  him  that  it  was  just  as 
well  to  go  home  and  not  to  pass  the  night  there,  med 
dling  with  other  people's  business  and  giving  orders 
to  our  superior  officers,  and  so  we  started  back.  The 
weather  had  changed  and  the  sky  was  full  of  rain,  and 
we  met  the  brigade  coming  out,  now  that  the  bird  had 
flown  and  was  hours  away.  We  wished  them  joy  of  their 
thankless  job  and  got  home  to  a  late  dinner  and  that 
night  you  may  well  believe  I  revelled  in  my  blankets, 
as  I  reflected  how  my  share  of  this  job  was  over,  and 
the  next  morning  I  revelled  the  more  as  I  thought  of 
that  miserable  brigade  when  the  patter  of  the  rain  on 
my  tent  woke  me  and  I  folded  my  hands  for  slumber 
anew.  . . . 

In  coming  in  [on  the  4th]  I  found  myself  Judge  Ad 
vocate  on  a  Court  Martial  called  to  try  the  fugitives 
of  the  25th  and  that  has  busied  me  ever  since.  My  only 
variety  has  been  morning  drills  and  on  Sunday  last  a 
Brigade  review,  at  which  our  regiment  by  its  appear- 


264  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  [MARCH  22, 

ance  and  general  excellence,  not  only  called  forth  much 
remark,  but  alone  in  the  Brigade  was  most  highly  com 
mended  by  the  Division  Commander.  In  fact,  at  last 
we  are  coming  up  and  winning  that  place  in  public 
estimation  which  we  have  always  felt  belonged  to  us 
of  right.  We  have  long  been  under  a  cloud,  but  at 
last  we  have  been  found  out  and  now  every  day  adds  to 
our  reputation.  ...  I  am  high  in  favor  with  all  the 
remaining  powers  that  be,  and,  having  confidence  in 
me,  they  allow  me  full  swing  with  my  Company  and 
never  molest  me  and,  though  I  say  it  who  perhaps 
should  not,  there  are  few  better  companies  in  this 
regiment  or  army.  Promotions  with  us  are  rapid  and 
already  I  find  myself  one  of  the  four  senior  Captains, 
and  consequently  a  chief  of  Squadron,  which  command 
I,  a  short  time  since,  considered  as  filling  the  measure 
of  my  ambition;  but  we  are  never  contented  and  now  I 
find  myself  lusting  after  a  staff  appointment  with  its 
increased  rank  on  a  larger  sphere.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Camp  of  1st  Mass.  Cavly 

Sunday,  March  %%,  1863 

•          ••••••••• 

I  AM  glad  you  have  come  to  my  conclusion  as  to  the 
best  basis  for  an  end  to  this  war.  Virginia,  Kentucky, 
Tennessee  and  all  west  of  the  Mississippi  was  my 
theory,  I  think,  in  my  letters  from  Hilton  Head  last 
July  and  was,  I  recollect,  stigmatized  by  you  as  "Eng 
lish."  I  am  glad  you  have  come  round  to  it  and  wish 
the  Administration  would  do  the  same.  Meanwhile 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  265 

things  are  improving  here,  though  the  weather  con 
tinues  abominable,  beastly,  unbearable.  I  wish  I 
could  go  to  Boston  just  to  get  rid  of  the  east  winds, 
which  are  increasing  and  bring  with  them  almost  daily 
snow,  rain  and  sleet,  or,  now  and  then,  watery,  cold, 
blue  sky.  But  the  army  is  decidedly  improving,  and  is, 
I  imagine,  in  a  far  better  condition  than  ever  before. 
It  will  improve  daily  too,  and  if  Hooker  acts  as  ju 
diciously  as  indications  would  warrant  us  in  hoping, 
we  shall,  I  think,  by  the  first  of  June  be  again  within 
sight  of  Richmond  with  no  very  serious  loss.  The  plan 
of  the  campaign,  I  think  I  see,  and,  if  I  do,  it  is  only 
the  execution  of  McClellan's  mutilated  scheme  of  a 
year  ago.  When  the  roads  permit,  a  large  column  will 
be  rapidly  pushed  forward  from  Fortress  Monroe,  to 
cut  off  the  army  on  the  Rappahannock  from  Rich 
mond,  thus  necessitating  its  capture  or  the  abandon 
ment  of  the  line  of  the  Rappahannock.  But  Lee  will  not 
be  caught;  he  will  fall  back  on  Richmond  and,  per 
haps,  on  his  way,  try  to  crush  the  army  of  the  Peninsula. 
This  army  here  will  push  him  back  with  great  rapidity 
and  regardless  of  loss  and  try  to  force  an  engagement, 
and  will  crush  him  if  it  succeeds.  If  it  fails,  as  I  think 
it  will,  it  will  join  the  Peninsula  column  and  push  on 
Richmond,  and  be  before  that  city  in  one  week  after 
leaving  its  camp  here.  None  of  the  delays  of  last  year 
will  be  tolerated.  The  march  on  Richmond  will  be  such 
a  rush  as  was  ours  of  last  fall  to  Antietam.  The  dis 
tances  are  about  the  same,  and  now  all  preparations 
are  made  before  hand,  which  they  were  not  then.  At 
Richmond  will  come  the  tug  of  war,  and  God  spare  the 


266  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  [MARCH  22. 

Infantry !  As  for  the  Cavalry,  I  think  that  we  shall  do 
one  of  two  things:  either  push  after  Lee,  if  he  allows 
himself  to  be  caught  in  a  tight  place;  or,  which  to  my 
mind  is  more  probable,  if  he  slips  off,  be  sent  up  towards 
Culpepper  to  operate  on  his  left  flank  and  annoy  him. 
Anyhow  we  shall  have  work  enough  and  fighting  enough, 
and  you  may  well  wish  us  well  through  with  it.  Such 
are  my  views  and  theories  and  time  will  show  how  cor 
rect  they  are.  As  I  understand  it,  they  cover  only 
McClellan's  old  plans  corrected  in  the  light  of  a  year's 
experience.  Of  course  the  army  will  do  something  else, 
and  meanwhile  we'll  see  how  wrong  I  am. 

As  to  your  and  my  futures,  they  will  probably  work 
themselves  out  in  their  own  way,  and  I  trouble  myself 
little  about  them.  You  a  little  misunderstand  me  how 
ever.  My  plans  for  life  are  altered  little  if  any;  it 
is  only  my  way  of  coming  at  them.  All  my  natural 
inclinations  tend  to  a  combination  of  literature  and 
politics  and  always  have.  I  would  be  a  philosophical 
statesman  if  I  could,  and  a  literary  politician  if  I  must; 
but  to  command  attention  as  either  I  must  have  a 
certain  position  of  my  own.  A  lawyer's  would  have 
done,  if  I  could  have  won  it,  but  I  failed  in  that  and 
that  is  all  over,  for  I  could  not  go  back  to  it.  I  must 
look  about  for  another.  Why  should  not  the  army  serve 
my  turn  —  if  I  hang  to  it?  Here  is  support,  leisure  for 
reflection  and  promotion  —  two  years  would  make  me 
a  Colonel  almost  surely  and  my  very  faculty  with  the 
pen  will  give  me  reputation  as  such,  besides  my  chance 
of  distinction  as  a  soldier.  Here  then  would  be  support 
and  position  for  ten  years,  and  then,  at  thirty-seven 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  267 

I  may  hope  to  have  reached  that  position  of  my  own 
which  will  enable  me  to  leave  the  army  and  to  devote 
the  rest  of  my  life  to  those  pursuits  in  which  I  can  best 
play  my  part  in  the  plan  of  the  universe.  This  is  all  that 
my  "avowal  of  belligerent  intentions  for  life"  amounts 
to,  and  why  is  not  the  plan  a  good  one?  You  do  not 
say  it  is  not.  So  far  as  I  now  see,  it  is  my  only  alter 
native  with  a  long  period  of  aimless  indolence.  I  can't 
think  of  coming  abroad  to  stay  without  some  definite 
plan  for  the  future.  I  see  only  this.  I  am  twenty-eight 
years  old  in  two  months  and  at  that  age  a  man  can 
not  afford  to  say  "I  will  devote  four  years  to  seeing  the 
world  and  thinking  of  what  I  will  do."  At  that  age 
my  father  had  a  son  named  Charles.  .  .  . 

I  begin  to  realize  that  I  have  made  a  mistake  in  not 
getting  a  furlough,  for  I  find  myself  most  thoroughly 
played  out  with  the  army  and  camp  life  —  out  of 
spirits,  desponding  and  blue,  and  all  for  the  sake  of  a 
few  days'  change.  It  is  in  this  mood,  always  brought 
on  me  by  monotony  and  camp  life,  that  I  continually 
imagine  that  I  am  going  to  be  hit  in  the  next  fight. 
When  we  move  the  mood  passes  away  and  my  faith  in 
my  luck  and  future  revives.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HENRY  ADAMS 

Camp  of  1st  Mass.  Cav'y 
Sunday,  April  5,  1863 

No  wonder  that  I  began  to  write  March  instead  of 
April,  for  there  is  nothing  of  April  in  the  weather. 
Your  last  told  me  of  the  delightful  weather  you  were 
having  in  London.  Here  it  has  been  and  still  is  beastly 


£68  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [APRIL  5, 

and  unbearable.  Last  night,  or  April  4th  and  in  Vir 
ginia,  we  had  a  violent  and  pelting  snow  storm  and 
this  morning  the  country  is  again  under  water,  and  hills, 
forts  and  camps  are  white  with  snow.  Yesterday  the 
wind  was  north  all  day  and  cold  and  violent  —  such  as 
we  remember  in  early  March  in  Washington  —  accom 
panied  with  clouds  of  dust.  I  was  out  in  it  all  day,  for 
I  was  sent  out  to  inspect  the  pickets,  and  starting  at 
nine  A.M.  did  not  get  in  until  half  past  three  P.M. 
Cold,  dreary,  uninteresting  work,  riding  from  post  to 
post  and  putting  the  same  questions  and  receiving  the 
same  answers  from  all  manner  of  stupid  men.  My  es 
cort,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  consisted  of  twenty-five 
men,  who  served  finely  to  impede  my  progress,  were 
of  no  use  to  any  one;  and  also  my  bulldog  Mac,  who 
frisked  along  with  the  column  in  a  state  of  high  enjoy 
ment  —  in  fact  he  would  n't  fight  and  submitted  to 
insults  from  divers  curs,  great  and  small,  with  almost 
abject  deprecation  of  a  row.  You  see  Mac's  only  idea 
of  fighting  is  taking  hold  and  then  holding  on,  and  as 
he  stands  in  great  fear  of  being  left  behind  he  calcu 
lates  he  won't  have  time  to  finish  up  the  job  and  make 
a  really  neat  piece  of  work  before  I'm  out  of  sight. 
So  he  dares  not  take  hold  at  all.  We  finished  our  work 
at  half  past  three  and  at  four  o'clock  Major  Higgin- 
son  and  myself  rode  off  to  dine  with  General  Griffin 
and  George  Bancroft  (Tacitus).  And  hereby  hangs  a 
tale. 

Friday  evening  last,  as  Colonel  Curtis,  Major  Hig- 
ginson  and  myself  were  crooning  over  the  fire  in  their 
tent  and  mourning  over  the  loss  of  so  many  old  friends, 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  269 

and  wondering  dismally  what  was  to  become  of  us,  I 
was  called  on  by  Captain  Bliss  —  George  Bancroft's 
step-son  —  and  took  him  into  my  tent.  He  was  in 
company  with  a  Captain  Batchelder  and  soon  opened 
his  business.  He  was  sent  by  General  Griffin,  on  whose 
staff  they  both  were,  to  offer  me  the  position  of  aid  on 
the  same  staff.  General  Griffin  is  a  well  known  officer 
of  the  old  army,  a  Brigadier  now  in  command  of  a 
Division,  a  young  man  and  highly  reputed.  An  officer 
of  the  old  army,  he  never  drinks,  and  he  married  one 
of  our  old  Washington  acquaintances,  the  Carrolls. 
So  much  for  General  Griffin,  whom  I  had  never  seen 
but  whose  staff  I  should  consider  one  of  the  most  de 
sirable  in  the  army.  I  intimated  to  Bliss  what  my  an 
swer  would  be,  and  told  him  that  I  would  express  my 
acknowledgments  to  the  General  in  person  next  day. 
Accordingly  Major  Higginson  and  I  rode  over  at  four 
o'clock  to  dine.  Before  dinner  I  had  my  audience 
and  politely  declined  the  proffered  situation.  I  found 
Griffin  a  young,  rather  handsome  man,  with  a  face 
expressive  of  a  good  deal  of  resolution  and  energy, 
pleasant  manners  and  a  good  deal  of  conversation. 
I  told  him  that  I  was  fully  sensible  of  the  great  advan 
tages  and  yet  greater  comforts  which  the  proposed 
situation  offered  me.  I  did  not  deny  that  I  was  un 
comfortable  and  ill  at  ease  where  I  was,  and  that  my 
chances  of  rising  and  of  knowing  what  was  going  on 
would  be  much  greater  with  him;  but  I  told  him  I  could 
not  accept  his  offer  for  two  reasons.  First,  if  I  did  so 
I  must  yet  retain  my  commission  in  my  regiment.  For 
a  captain  to  do  this  I  did  not  consider  right.  He  knew 


270  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [APRIL  5, 

what  cavalry  service  was  and  how  it  differed  from  the 
other  arms.  In  it  all  officers  had  to  act  for  themselves 
and  on  their  own  responsibility.  We  were  always  in  the 
face  of  the  enemy  and  generally  in  small  force.  Our 
responsibility  was  great  both  for  men  and  property  and 
we  were  paid  additionally  for  assuming  it.  I  could  not 
think  it  right  that  I  should  retain  my  rank  and  com 
mission,  receive  the  pay  and  stand  in  the  way  of  those 
below  me,  while  I  shoved  onto  them  the  danger  and 
responsibility,  left  my  men  to  take  care  of  themselves 
and  went  off  and  enjoyed  myself  looking  only  to  my 
own  advancement.  This  objection  might  however  be 
removed  by  my  receiving  a  new  commission  as  aid. 
This  he  could  not  offer  me,  but  even  if  he  could,  my 
second  objection  would  still  be  in  the  way.  He  knew 
how  essential  in  the  cavalry  officers  of  experience  were 
and  I  told  him  how  in  our  regiment  our  officers  had 
been  weeded  out,  so  that  now  actually  we  could  not 
boast  of  one  officer,  considered  really  reliable,  to  each 
of  our  four  squadrons  and  that  I  was  now  the  third  line 
officer  in  this  part  of  the  regiment.  I  could  not  tell  him 
of  the  sort  of  indirect  appeal  Curtis  had  made  to  me 
a  few  days  before  when  Clapp  had  decided  to  leave  us. 
I  sustained  Clapp  in  his  course  and  said,  that  so  far  as 
the  good  of  the  regiment  was  concerned  no  officer  had 
a  right  to  consider  himself  so  valuable  to  it  that  he 
ought  to  stay.  Curtis  replied:  "That  is  very  well  to 
say,  but  you  know  the  facts.  You  know  whom  we  have 
and  you  know  that  if  I  went,  and  Higginson  went,  and 
yourself  and  one  Captain  more,  the  regiment  would  be 
stripped  of  its  reliable  officers.  You  know  well  enough 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  271 

that  we  can't  officer  our  companies,  and  then  what  do 
you  want  us  to  say?" 

Now  I  do  know  all  this  and  unfortunately  for  me  I 
have  not  only  the  highest  opinion  of  Curtis'  judgment 
and  common  sense,  but  the  greatest  admiration  for  his 
pluck  and  courage  and  the  greatest  fear  of  his  censure. 
I  know  that  he  values  me  more  than  any  line  officer  he 
now  has  left,  and,  finally,  he  fairly  set  it  before  me  as 
a  question  of  duty.  Did  I  pretend  that  I  could  be  of 
more  use  and  service  in  this  war  on  a  staff  than  in  my 
present  position?  If  so,  he  disagreed  with  me.  Would 
I  allow  myself  to  be  driven  from  the  post  of  usefulness 

by  a  man  as  radically  wrong  and  dangerous  as ? 

If  so,  he  could  not  sympathize  with  me.  Did  I  go  into 
this  war  as  a  soldier  to  enjoy  and  benefit  myself  or  to 
contribute  all  in  my  power  to  a  great  result?  If  the 
last,  would  I  not  contribute  most  by  remaining  where 
I  was,  where  I  was  of  use  and  really  essential  and  re 
spectable  in  rank,  rather  than  by  appending  myself 
to  a  General,  no  matter  how  agreeable  or  able?  He 
argued  in  this  way.  and,  while  he  preached,  I  felt  that 
he  himself  was  living  up  to  his  doctrine.  I  knew  that  he 
was  the  life  and  soul  of  this  regiment,  that  he  was  doing 
his  share  in  the  war  in  his  place;  that  Sargent  could  not 
drive  him  from  it,  and  that  he  himself  would  not  leave 
it.  I  felt  that  among  us  all  he  was  the  one  strong, 
determined,  formidable  man.  All  this  had  its  influence 
on  me.  Four  months  ago  I  should  have  felt  differently 
and  replied  that  there  were  better  men  than  I  here  and 
my  loss  will  not  be  felt;  but  now  they  are  so  all  gone 
that  I  felt  that  the  loss  of  each  one  was  irreparable. 


A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS      [APRIL  5, 

All  this  I  could  not  tell  Griffin  without  appearing 
conceited,  and  as  I  spoke  in  a  general  way,  saying  that, 
under  existing  circumstances,  I  felt  that  I  was  of  more 
service  in  this  stage  of  the  war  where  I  was  than  I  could 
be  with  him  and  so  —  a  miserable  sense  of  duty  tri 
umphed  over  pleasure,  comfort,  advance,  knowledge 
and  excitement,  and  I  gave  up  in  favor  of  exposure, 
discomfort,  danger,  a  contemptible  superior,  tyranny 
and  hopeless  obscurity,  all  the  wished  for  pleasures  and 
advantages  of  a  Head  Quarters'  life.  I  hope  I  decided 
wisely;  I  know  I  did  honestly,  unwillingly  and  accord 
ing  to  my  lights.  It  will  cost  me  all  my  comfort  and 
most  of  my  pleasures;  it  may  cost  me  my  life,  and  that 
too  grossly  blundered  away.  It  certainly  consigns  me 
to  hopeless  obscurity  in  this  war,  but  I  meant  it  for  the 
best.  When  the  moment  came  I  did  not  want  to  leave 
my  post  and  I  have  thought  to  remain  where  I  believed 
I  could  be  of  most  use.  Certainly  I  ought  to  love  this 
regiment,  for  certainly  first  and  last  I  have  undergone 
and  sacrificed  enough  in  its  behalf. 

Such  was  my  decision.  Griffin  listened  and  agreed  to 
the  force  of  my  reasoning  and  did  not  try  to  dissuade 
me.  He  only  expressed  regret,  as  he  assured  me  that 
he  had  been  in  it  and  was  well  enough  aware  that 
mine  was  the  hardest,  most  trying  and  most  thankless 
branch  of  the  service  in  existence.  Colonel  Williams, 
he  told  me,  had  recommended  me  to  him  strongly  and 
had  induced  him  to  make  the  offer;  but  apart  from  all 
I  said  he  evidently  considered  that  he  rather  offered 
me  a  fall  from  a  senior  captaincy  of  cavalry  to  a  posi 
tion  as  personal  aid  to  a  Brigadier. 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  273 

Having  finished  business  we  went  in  to  dinner.  Ah ! 
is  n't  it  pleasant,  this  dining  at  Head  Quarters !  Line 
life  is  indeed  beastly  and  one  learns  to  appreciate  glass, 
crockery  and  a  table  cloth.  Old  Bancroft  was  there 
and,  as  usual,  I  thought  [him]  a  bore.  The  General  was 
immensely  civil  to  me  and  altogether  I  enjoyed  my 
self  very  much.  It  was  well  I  did,  for  some  enjoyment 
was  needed  to  compensate  me  for  a  ride  home  at  nine 
o'clock,  through  a  pelting,  driving  snow  storm.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  April  23,  1863 

TROUBLED  times!  troubled  times!  My  own  opinion  is 
that  our  bed  here  is  getting  too  hot  for  comfort  and 
I  don't  much  care  how  soon  we  are  out  of  it. 

The  last  storm  really  amounts  to  very  little,  but 
serves  to  show  the  temper  of  the  people  here,  or  rather, 
of  the  business  men.  I  had  not  sent  my  last  to  you 
when  it  burst,  and  you  would  have  thought  the  devil 
was  loose.  Ecoute,  mon  cheri. 

The  cursed  blockade-runners  got  up  a  lovely  scheme 
of  trading  to  the  Rio  Grande,  a  few  months  ago,  and 
to  insure  success  they  made  a  contract  with  J.  D. 
at  Richmond  to  furnish  cotton  at  half  price  on  the 
spot,  etc.,  etc.,  and  in  accordance  with  the  program,  a 
steamer  called  the  Peterhoff  was  sent  out,  which  Ad 
miral  Wilkes  very  properly  bagged,  and  deserves  the 
thanks  of  the  Government  for  doing  so.  But  the  own 
ers  had  covered  the  transaction  under  the  appearance 
of  a  trade  with  Mexico  and  Matamoras,  and  finding 
their  whole  game  spoiled  and  the  officers  refusing  at 


274  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [APRIL  23, 

any  price  to  insure  their  ships  or  any  ships  to  Mata- 
moras,  they  set  up  a  tremendous  cackle,  and  the  Times 
and  the  Telegraph  and  all  the  newspapers  cackled,  and 
deputations  of  blockade  runners  went  to  the  For 
eign  Office  and  in  short  the  whole  blockade-breaking 
interest,  the  insurance  Companies  and  underwriters, 
the  ship-owners,  and  all  and  every  their  relations, 
friends  and  acquaintances,  were  exasperated  and  acri 
monious. 

Meanwhile  two  Americans  named  Howell  and  Zer- 
man  had  been  some  time  here  engaged  in  purchasing 
articles  on  account  of  the  Mexican  Government,  but 
mostly  with  British  money.  The  capture  of  the  Peter- 
hoff  suddenly  destroyed  their  chance  of  insurance.  In 
great  disgust  they  went  to  the  Minister  and  asked  him 
for  a  certificate  of  loyalty,  on  which  they  might  act. 
The  Minister  saw  his  chance  of  hitting  the  Peterhoffers 
a  hard  blow,  and  at  the  same  time  of  helping  Mexico, 
and  so  wrote  the  letter  which  you  have  probably  al 
ready  seen  in  the  newspapers.  Of  course  it  was  secret, 
for  its  publication  would  necessarily  destroy  the  insur 
ance,  but  it  was  intended  for  the  gentlemen  at  Lloyd's. 
It  had  the  intended  effect.  The  policy  was  to  have  been 
executed  the  next  day,  when  one  of  the  very  under 
writers  made  public  a  copy  of  the  letter  which  his 
clerk  had  surreptitiously  taken  in  short-hand  as  he 
himself  read  it  aloud  to  the  other  four  underwriters; 
within  an  hour  a  deputation  had  gone  up  with  it  to 
Earl  Russell;  the  Exchange  was  raving  mad;  the  Times 
next  day  thundered  at  the  Minister  for  his  insolent 
attempt  to  license  British  trade;  the  Standard  cried 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  275 

for  his  dismissal;  the  public  cursed  and  threatened; 
even  our  friends  were  frightened,  and  all  thought  that 
at  last  salt  had  been  deposited  upon  the  caudal  append 
age  of  a  very  venerable  ornithological  specimen. 

The  Minister  was  grand.  I  studied  his  attitude  with 
deep  admiration.  Not  all  the  supplications  of  his 
friends  could  make  him  open  his  mouth  either  to  put 
the  public  right  on  his  letter  or  on  the  gross  falsehoods 
told  about  the  PeterhofL  The  time  had  not  come.  Of 
course  he  was  cursed  for  his  obstinacy,  but  he  is  used 
to  that.  We  remained  perfectly  silent  while  the  storm 
raged  and  laughed  at  it.  But  you  can't  conceive  how 
bitter  they  were  in  the  city,  and  the  matter  was  twice 
brought  up  in  Parliament,  though  nothing  was  said 
there,  nor  shown,  except  a  strong  desire  to  get  hold  of 
the  Minister.  Luckily  Lord  Russell  was  firm  and  his 
course  irritated  the  Peterhoffers  so  as  to  draw  off  a 
large  portion  of  indignation  upon  him.  Meanwhile 
the  man  who  betrayed  the  letter  in  the  hope  of  getting 
revenge  for  being  called  "dishonest  and  fraudulent," 
and  of  stirring  up  hostility  to  our  Government,  honor 
ably  refused  to  proceed  with  the  insurance  and  was 
blackguarded  in  his  own  office  like  a  thief  by  Howell. 
To  complete  their  discomfiture,  a  letter  of  the  Minis 
ter  to  a  London  firm  is  published  this  morning,  coolly 
putting  it  right  as  to  the  licensing  business,  and  refer 
ring  British  subjects  to  their  own  Government  for 
protection.  When  the  whole  Peterhoff  story  is  told  we 
shall  reverse  everything  and  overwhelm  these  liars, 
I  hope,  but  meanwhile  the  storm  seems  to  have  blown 
itself  out  and  we  are  still  steady  and  going  straight 


s   ) 

276  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS     [APRIL  24, 

ahead.  But  England  is  not  comfortable  with  such 
Irish  rows. 

April  24 

You  may  judge  the  state  of  feeling  here  by  the  de 
bate  in  Parliament  last  night,  where  much  bad  tem 
per  was  shown,  but  no  case.  You  will  observe  that 
our  friends  kept  silence  and  left  the  Government  to 
manage  the  matter.  As  to  Lord  Russell's  declaration 
about  the  Minister's  course  and  the  complaint  at  Wash 
ington,  it  is  of  course  annoying  and  hurts  us  here,  but 
I  believe  it  to  be  only  the  result  of  the  outside  pressure, 
and  I  do  not  believe  he  expects  really  to  affirm  that 
the  American  Government  has  no  right  to  protect  its 
own  citizens  against  its  own  fleets.  One  thing  however 
is  certain.  There  is  great  danger  in  this  feeling  of  irri 
tation  on  both  sides  and  a  rupture  is  highly  probable. 
But  then,  if  we  can  weather  it  and  turn  the  current, 
as  I  hope  we  may  do,  if  the  Peterhoff  case  is  a  strong 
one,  we  shall  have  plain  sailing  for  another  spell. 
Meanwhile  we  still  bear  up  and  steer  right  onward. 
Another  debate  comes  on  tonight  and  our  friends  will 
have  their  innings  on  the  Alabama  case.  You  will 
probably  see  this  in  our  papers,  but  I  shan't  be  able 
to  send  it  to  you.  .  .  . 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS  TO  HIS  SON 

London,  April  24,  1863 

WE  go  here  much  as  usual.  The  American  question 
excites  more  fever  than  ever.  The  collisions  that  in 
evitably  take  place  on  the  ocean  in  the  effort  to  stop 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  277 

all  the  scandalous  voyages  to  help  the  rebels,  that  are 
made  from  this  island,  necessarily  created  much  bad 
feeling.  I  have  got  a  little  mixed  up  in  it  of  late,  so  that 
my  name  has  been  bandied  about  rather  more  than  I 
like.  But  such  is  the  fate  of  all  men  who  are  in  situa 
tions  of  difficulty  in  troubled  times.  I  hope  and  trust 
I  shall  survive  it.  My  rule  is,  so  far  as  I  know  how,  to 
follow  a  strict  rule  of  right.  As  long  as  I  keep  myself 
within  it,  I  trust  in  God  and  fear  no  evil.  My  endeavor 
will  be  to  prevent  things  from  coming  to  a  rupture 
here,  not  from  any  particular  goodwill  to  the  English, 
but  from  a  conviction  that  quarreling  with  them  just 
now  is  doing  service  to  the  rebels.  So  far  as  I  can  judge 
from  their  own  reports  of  their  condition,  the  suffo 
cating  process  is  going  on  steadily  to  its  end.  On  the 
other  hand  the  position  of  the  loyal  part  of  the  country 
is  more  dignified  and  imposing  than  ever.  In  spite  of 
lukewarm  generals  and  a  defective  and  uneven  policy, 
the  great  body  of  the  people  and  the  army  are  true  to 
their  duty  which  is  to  save  the  country.  I  feel  more  hope 
ful  of  that  result  than  ever  before.  Presently  our  people 
will  fight  with  the  same  energy  that  animates  the  reb 
els.  Whenever  that  happens,  the  struggle  will  be  soon 
brought  to  an  end. 

We  have  of  late  quite  an  influx  of  Americans,  more 
than  have  been  here  all  the  winter  before.  First,  there 
is  Mr.  Robert  J.  Walker,  the  quondam  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  and  Governor  of  Kansas.  I  am  amused  to 
find  him  changed  into  a  thorough  anti-slavery  man, 
determined  upon  emancipation  as  the  only  condition 
of  pacification.  Then  we  have  Mr.  W.  H.  Aspinwall 


278  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [MAY  i, 

of  New  York  and  Mr.  John  M.  Forbes.  And  in  addi 
tion,  Mr.  John  A.  Kasson  of  Iowa,  late  Assistant  Post 
master  General,  and  now  member  of  the  next  House  of 
Representatives,  who  is  out  here  as  a  delegate  to  a  con 
vention  to  settle  postal  matters  between  nations.  I 
wish  he  could  succeed  in  getting  a  reduction  of  ocean 
postage.  Over  and  above  these  we  have  my  old  col 
league  in  the  Massachusetts  Legislature,  Mr.  Alvah 
Crocker  of  Fitchburg,  and  George  Morey,  whilom 
the  great  factotum  of  Whig  politics,  in  days  of  yore. 
So  we  cannot  be  said  to  be  solitary  or  without  sym 
pathisers.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  May  1,  1863 

AND  so  two  years  have  passed  over  and  gone,  and  still 
I  am  abroad  and  still  you  are  a  Captain  of  cavalry. 
You  meanwhile  are  near  twenty-eight  years  old.  I  shall 
never  on  this  earth  see  my  twenty-fifth  birthday  again. 
Does  not  this  fact  suggest  certain  ideas  to  you?  Can 
a  man  at  your  time  of  life  be  a  cavalry  captain  and  re 
main  a  briefless  solicitor?  Can  a  man  of  my  general  ap 
pearance  pass  five  years  in  Europe  and  remain  a  can 
didate  for  the  bar?  In  short,  have  we  both  wholly  lost 
our  reckonings  and  are  we  driven  at  random  by  fate, 
or  have  we  still  a  course  that  we  are  steering  though  it 
is  not  quite  the  same  as  our  old  one?  By  the  Apostle 
Paul,  I  know  not.  Only  one  fact  I  feel  sure  of.  We  are 
both  no  longer  able  to  protect  ourselves  with  the  con 
venient  fiction  of  the  law.  Let  us  quit  that  now  useless 


1863  ]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  279 

shelter,  and  steer  if  possible  for  whatever  it  may  have 
been  that  once  lay  beyond  it.  Neither  you  nor  I  can 
ever  do  anything  at  the  bar.  .  .  . 

You  don't  catch  me  entering  the  army  now.  It 
would  be  like  entering  college  Freshman  when  all 
one's  friends  were  Seniors.  I  have  a  trick  worth 
twenty  of  that.  My  friend  General  Zerman,  who  has 
been  the  means  of  kicking  up  such  a  row  around  us 
here,  and  who  is  an  old  Dugald  Dalgetty;  a  midship 
man  under  the  French  at  Trafalgar;  a  sous-officier  at 
Waterloo;  a  captain  at  Navarino;  a  Russian  admiral;  a 
Turkish  admiral;  a  Carbonaro;  a  companion  of  Silvio 
Pellico  in  the  prisons  of  Spielberg;  a  South  American 
officer  by  land  and  sea;  and  lately  a  general  in  the  army 
of  the  United  States;  now  a  Major  General  in  the  Mexi 
can  service;  and  I've  no  doubt  a  damned  old  villain, 
though  a  perfectly  jovial  old  sinner  of  seventy  odd; 
this  distinguished  individual  offers  to  take  me  on  his 
staff  with  the  rank  of  major  to  Mexico.  Would  n't  I 
like  to  go!  The  chances  are  a  thousand  to  one  that  my 
bones  would  bleach  there,  but  for  all  that  the  chance 
is  worth  having,  for  it  would  be  a  great  step  for  a  young 
man  to  secure  for  himself  a  control  even  to  a  small 
extent  over  our  Mexican  relations.  But  such  magnif 
icent  dreams,  worthy  of  the  daring  of  those  heroes, 
Porthos,  Athos,  Aramis  and  D'Artagnan,  are  not  for 
me.  By  the  by,  though,  what  a  good  Porthos  Ben 
Crowny  would  make;  you  could  do  D'Artagnan,  I 
would  put  in  for  Aramis,  and  no  doubt  you  could  hunt 
up  some  one  that  might  pass  equally  badly  for  Athos. 
Then  we  could  all  go  to  Mexico  together.  .  .  . 


280  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [MAY  i. 

I  left  off  by  sending  you  the  debate  of  last  Friday 
night  which  contained  Earl  Russell's  brilliant  re 
marks  on  the  celebrated  letter  of  our  Minister  to  Ad 
miral  Dupont.  In  those  remarks  Earl  Russell  was 
indignant  at  the  idea  of  his  speaking  to  Mr.  Adams 
about  it.  No!  No!  He  should  go  straight  to  Wash 
ington  !  But  my  Lord,  having  thus  pledged  himself  in 
order  to  please  the  English  copper-heads,  to  go  straight 
to  Washington,  amused  himself  the  next  morning  by 
sending  straight  to  Mr.  Adams.  Of  course  I  know 
nothing  of  the  conversation  that  followed.  That  is  all 
a  secret  with  Mr.  Seward.  But  I  think  it  is  not  difficult 
to  guess.  It  had  suited  Lord  Russell  to  yield  a  little  to 
the  copper-head  pressure  on  Thursday  night;  it  suited 
him  to  allow  Mr.  Adams  to  triumphantly  purge  him 
self  of  misdemeanor  on  Friday  morning.  It  suited  him 
to  make  the  American  Minister  think  that  he  (Lord  R.) 
thought  him  to  be  in  the  wrong  —  moderately.  It  also 
suited  him  to  make  the  British  public  think  that 
Mr.  Adams  had  confessed  his  error  and  contrition  and 
had  received  pardon.  English  statesmanship  consists 
in  this  sort  of  juggling  and  huckstering  between  inter 
ests. 

Such  was  the  position  when  I  wrote  to  you,  or 
rather,  immediately  after  I  wrote  to  you.  Since  then 
nothing  has  been  heard  of  complaining  at  Washington. 
But  now  see  the  resources  of  a  British  Minister.  Last 
Tuesday  morning  the  City  Article,  what  we  call  the 
money  article,  of  the  Times,  in  which  most  of  the  attack 
has  been  directed,  contained  the  following  paragraph: 

"The  public  will  be  glad  to  learn  that  the  difficul- 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  281 

ties  occasioned  by  the  recent  issue  by  Mr.  Adams  of 
the  certificate  or  pass  to  Messrs.  Ho  well  and  Zerman, 
are  likely  to  be  smoothed  down.  It  is  reported  that 
Mr.  Adams  is  conscious  of  having  acted  in  the  matter 
upon  imperfect  representations  and  with  undue  haste, 
and  that  consequently  he  raises  no  pretensions  such  as 
would  necessitate  any  absolute  protest  from  one  Gov 
ernment  to  the  other  on  the  subject.  It  is  therefore 
believed  that  the  relations  between  our  Cabinet  and 
the  United  States  Legation  in  London  will  continue 
on  a  friendly  footing  —  a  result  which  in  a  personal 
sense  will  afford  unmixed  satisfaction,  since  the  indi 
vidual  and  historical  claims  of  Mr.  Adams  to  respect 
and  esteem  have  never  been  disputed  in  any  quarter." 

Now,  is  not  this  a  remarkable  State  Paper?  Did  you 
ever  see  a  case  in  which  the  butter  was  laid  on  so  curi 
ously  over  the  interstices  of  the  bread?  The  real  fact 
is  that  you  should  read  "Earl  Russell"  instead  of 
"Mr.  Adams"  in  the  fifth  line.  That  would  be  the 
correct  thing.  But  this  statement  has  received  uni 
versal  currency  and  is  accepted  as  a  conclusion  of  the 
difficulty.  It  now  remains  for  Lord  Russell  to  make 
the  explanation  which  no  doubt  Mr.  Adams  must  de 
mand,  at  some  time  when  the  whole  affair  shall  be 
forgotten,  and  then  I  hope  this  curious  chapter  will  be 
closed.  .  .  . 

Our  own  position  here  does  not  change.  We  lead  a 
quiet  and  not  unpleasant  life,  and  I  pass  my  intervals 
from  official  work,  in  studying  De  Tocqueville  and 
John  Stuart  Mill,  the  two  high  priests  of  our  faith.  So 
I  jump  from  International  Law  to  our  foreign  history, 


A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [MAY  8, 

and  am  led  by  that  to  study  the  philosophic  standing 
of  our  republic,  which  brings  me  to  reflection  over  the 
advance  of  the  democratic  principle  in  European  civili 
zation,  and  so  I  go  on  till  some  new  question  of  law 
starts  me  again  on  the  circle.  But  I  have  learned  to  think 
De  Tocqueville  my  model,  and  I  study  his  life  and 
works  as  the  Gospel  of  my  private  religion.  The  great 
principle  of  democracy  is  still  capable  of  rewarding  a 
conscientious  servant.  And  I  doubt  me  much  whether 
the  advance  of  years  will  increase  my  toleration  of  its 
faults.  Hence  I  think  I  see  in  the  distance  a  vague  and 
unsteady  light  in  the  direction  towards  which  I  needs 
must  gravitate,  so  soon  as  the  present  disturbing 
influences  are  removed. 

We  are  surrounded  by  assistants.  Mr.  Aspinwall, 
Mr.  J.  M.  Forbes,  Mr.  Robert  J.  Walker  and  Mr. 
Evarts  are  all  here. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR.,  TO  HIS  FATHER 

Hartwood  Church,  Va. 
May  8,  1863 

THIS  is  indeed  a  twice  told  tale  and  of  the  weariest 
at  that.  Here  am  I  once  more  picketing  Hartwood 
Church  after  another  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  just 
as  I  did  last  December!  I  did  on  the  fifteenth  of  last 
month  confidently  hope  never  again  to  see  this  modest 
brick  edifice,  but  the  wisdom  of  Providence  differently 
ordained  and  here  I  am  once  more  and,  from  here,  go 
on  with  my  broken  story. 

I  left  off  with  Sunday,  26th  April,  and  an  order  to 
send  me  out  on  picket.  I  got  off  at  about  ten  o'clock 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  283 

and  reached  my  position  on  the  road  to  Sulphur  Springs 
at  about  four.  I  had  only  about  sixty  men  and  my 
line  was  very  long.  The  officers  whom  I  relieved  looked 
disgusted  enough  when  I  told  them  what  my  force  was, 
and  said  that  they  had  twice  as  many  and  had  sent  for 
more.  However  I  was  sent  to  relieve  them  and  went  to 
work  to  do  so.  There  are  few  things  more  disgusting 
I  imagine  than  being  called  upon  to  establish  a  line  of 
pickets  at  night  and  in  a  strange  country,  and  then 
having  night  shut  down  on  you  just  when  you  realize 
how  difficult  your  task  is.  It  took  me  four  hours  to  ride 
over  my  line,  and  when  I  returned  I  was  in  an  awful 
maze.  Major  Covode,  whom  I  relieved,  had  taken  me 
through  the  fields  instead  of  over  the  roads,  and  I  no 
longer  knew  where  the  river  ran,  which  was  north  or 
south,  or  indeed  where  I  was.  My  mind  was  a  jumble  of 
fords,  hills  and  roads,  with  a  distinct  recollection  of 
a  rapid  brook  called  "the  river,"  and  the  immense 
desolate  ruins  of  the  huge  hotel  at  the  Springs,  burnt 
by  Pope  last  summer  and  through  which  I  had  ridden 
by  moonlight.  Major  Covode  left  me  with  the  en 
couraging  information  that  I  need  n't  fear  much  until 
the  river  went  down,  but  then  I'd  have  to  look  sharp 
and  I  proceeded  to  secure  myself. 

As  for  guarding  the  army,  I  gave  that  idea  up  at  once 
and  perforce  ran  for  luck;  but  I  was  n't  going  to  be 
surprised  myself,  so  I  made  my  arrangements  to  pro 
tect  myself  and  concluded  that  they  were  eminently  un 
satisfactory.  Flint  with  twenty  men  was  posted  about 
four  miles  to  my  right  and  in  a  very  exposed  and  dan 
gerous  place,  and  my  force  was  too  weak  to  keep 


284  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [MAY  8, 

up  communication  with  him.  He  might  be  swallowed 
whole  and  I  not  know  it.  I  was  near  Sulphur  Springs 
and  tolerably  secure  until  the  river  fell.  The  enemy  left 
us  alone,  however,  and  in  the  morning  one  of  my  men 
crossed  the  river  and  found  it  fordable.  I  sent  in  my 
report  and  at  nine  o'clock  —  as  I  was  not  likely  to  be 
on  duty  three  days  —  went  out  to  study  the  country. 
At  two  o'clock  I  had  gotten  through  and  set  my  mind 
at  ease,  for  I  understood  the  position  and  knew  how 
to  go  to  work  for  the  next  night,  and  at  three  o'clock 
I  was  notified  that  I  was  relieved.  Our  picket  duty  is 
made  immensely  more  difficult  here  by  the  state  of 
the  population.  The  enemy  know  the  country  and  we 
don't,  and  every  man  is  a  citizen  or  a  soldier,  as  the  oc 
casion  offers.  We  feel  no  single  man  is  safe  and  so  our 
posts  have  to  be  double,  and  we  feel  at  any  time  that 
these  may  be  picked  off  and  thus  our  reserves  and  the 
army  exposed  to  surprises.  I  was  glad  to  tie  relieved, 
although  now  I  felt  that  I  knew  what  I  was  about,  and 
at  seven  o'clock  got  off  and  got  into  camp  at  nine. 
At  eleven  Flint  got  in  and  we  turned  in  for  a  good 
night. 

Monday  the  weather  had  changed  again  and  all  day 
it  rained  and  was  threatening  rain,  but  we  nevertheless 
went  to  work  and  made  ourselves  very  comfortable. 
We  moved  our  squadron  camp  to  the  top  of  the  hill  and 
had  the  tents  pitched  in  line  and  our  own  head  quar 
ters  fenced  in  with  brush.  When  evening  came  all  was 
finished,  swept  up  and  clean,  and  I  looked  round  on  the 
pleasantest  camp  I  had  ever  seen  in  a  bivouac.  Teague, 
Flint's  2d  Lieutenant,  had  constructed  a  rustic  bench 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  £85 

and  the  bright  fire  in  front  of  it  threw  its  light  into  the 
shelter  tents  where  Mac  had  ensconced  himself  on  our 
blankets.  It  was  very  pretty  and  Flint  and  I  sat  down 
to  a  pipe  of  deep  contentment,  preparatory  to  a  sleep 
of  supreme  comfort. 

While  we  were  simmering  over  these  pleasant  sen 
sations  an  orderly  blundered  by  inquiring  the  way 
to  Colonel  Curtis'  quarters,  and  a  cold  shiver  went 
through  me.  In  a  minute  more  orders  came  for  me  to 
get  ready  to  march  at  once.  It  was  then  eight  o'clock, 
and  a  night  march  was  before  us,  and  we  so  comfortable 
and  tired !  It  went  very  hard,  but  it  had  to  go,  and  at 
nine  o'clock  we  were  in  the  saddle  and  our  comfort 
able  camp  was  nowhere.  It  was  a  general  move.  We 
marched  down  to  Bealeton  and  struck  the  railroad 
and  kept  along  until  we  came  to  within  a  mile  of  the 
river  when  we  turned  off  into  the  woods,  and  Mac  lost 
us  and  disappeared.  It  was  then  about  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  We  dismounted,  unsaddled,  built  some 
fires  and  went  to  sleep  before  them.  The  night  was 
cloudy,  damp  and  warm.  We  were  called  and  saddled 
at  daylight  and  the  men  got  their  breakfasts  —  mine 
being  a  cup  of  coffee  and  at  eight  we  started.  In  vain 
had  I  whistled  and  inquired  for  Mac.  He  seemed  gone 
and  I  gave  him  up;  but  just  as  our  column  was  formed 
out  in  the  fields  my  heart  was  rejoiced  by  seeing  him 
poking  down  the  ranks,  evidently  looking  for  me.  He 
caught  sight  of  me  at  last  and  evinced  his  satisfaction 
by  at  once  laying  down  and  going  to  sleep.  Since  that 
he  has  pegged  steadily  along  with  the  column  and  is 
now  placidly  sleeping  in  my  tent.  I  did  n't  expect  to 


286  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS        [MAY  s, 

keep  him  so  long,  but  now  I  think  he 's  got  the  hang 
of  it  and  has  a  chance  of  coming  through. 

We  marched  towards  the  river  and  halted.  It  was 
a  cold,  cloudy,  dismal  east  wind  morning.  Appar 
ently  the  ford  there  was  impracticable,  for  presently 
we  started  again  and  moved  rapidly  down  the  river.  I 
now  felt  pretty  sick  of  this  running  round  after  a  ford 
and  began  to  doubt  whether  we  ever  should  get  across 
that  miserable  little  river.  My  doubts  were  solved, 
however,  when  at  noon  we  got  down  to  Kelly's  Ford 
and  I  saw  a  pontoon  bridge  thrown  across  and  the 
cavalry  fording.  Here  at  last  we  crossed  the  river  at  a 
point  which  we  reached  at  the  end  of  our  first  day's 
march,  and  we  left  camp  on  April  13th  and  this  was 
April  29th.  After  crossing  we  dismounted  and  let  our 
horses  graze  and  lay  there,  doing  nothing,  or  mount 
ing,  moving  and  accomplishing  nothing,  until  nearly 
evening,  when  just  as  we  were  thinking  of  going  into 
camp,  the  column  began  to  defile  into  the  woods  and 
we  followed  in  our  turn.  We  had  had  nothing  to  eat 
since  the  evening  before  and  were  getting  cross;  but 
luckily,  just  then  Flint's  man  came  up  with  a  canteen 
of  coffee  and  a  plate  of  meat,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
skirmishing  began  in  front.  So  we  rode  forward  feast 
ing  and  ready  to  fight. 

We  pressed  rapidly  forward  in  line  of  battle  through 
the  woods  with  a  rapid  skirmishing  fire  in  front  and  a 
few  shells  now  and  then  going  or  coming  and,  presently, 
about  sunset,  emerged  onto  an  immense  open  coun 
try,  on  the  farther  side  of  which  could  just  be  seen 
the  enemy's  cavalry.  Here  we  formed  line,  but  it  was 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  287 

too  late  to  attack  and  so  presently  we  fell  back  to  the 
edge  of  the  wood  to  pass  the  night.  Of  course  we  could 
have  no  fires  and  our  ranks  were  not  broken;  but  the 
men  dismounted,  the  horses  were  fed  part  at  a  time, 
and  the  men  lay  down  and  slept  in  front  of  them,  hold 
ing  the  bridles.  Presently  it  began  to  rain  and  kept  it 
up  smartly  pretty  much  all  night,  but  we  slept  none 
the  less  and  I  know  I  slept  well.  We  certainly  calculated 
on  a  fight  that  morning,  but  when  morning  came  the 
rumor  crept  round  that  the  enemy  was  gone  and  so  it 
proved.  It  had  stolen  away  like  a  thief  in  the  night 
and  left  open  to  us  the  road  to  Culpepper.  This  we 
took  at  once  and  again  breakfasted  in  the  saddle,  glad 
enough  to  see  Davis,  Flint's  man,  with  his  coffee  and 
tin  dish  of  fried  beef. 

This  was  Thursday  and  we  had  one  of  the  most  de 
lightful  and  interesting  marches  I  ever  enjoyed.  The 
morning  was  cloudy,  but  it  cleared  bright  and  warm 
at  noon,  and  the  afternoon  and  night  were  charming, 
with  a  few  slight  drawbacks.  The  country  towards 
Culpepper  is  open  and  we  approached  the  town  in  or 
der  of  battle  —  five  columns  or  squadrons,  marching 
straight  across  the  country  and  all  manoeuvring  to 
gether.  We  saw  nothing  of  Lee  or  Stuart,  however, 
except  his  dead  horses,  which  lay  along  our  course 
thick  and  unburied,  and  by  noon  we  were  close  to 
Culpepper.  The  country  looks  old,  war-worn  and 
wasted,  but  not  so  bad  as  the  other  side  of  the  river. 
Most  of  the  houses  along  the  road  were  deserted  and 
apparently  had  been  so  for  a  long  time.  Some  of  them 
were  evidently  old  Virginia  plantation  houses,  and 


A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [MAY  8, 

once  had  been  aristocratic  and  lazy.  Now  they  are 
pretty  thoroughly  out  of  doors.  We  marched  rapidly 
through  Culpepper  and  out  on  the  other  side,  exciting 
the  especial  notice  of  the  negroes  and  curs  of  the  town 
and  the  lazy  attention  of  the  few  whites  left.  It's  quite 
a  Yankee  looking  place  and,  with  Warren  ton,  very  unlike 
most  Virginia  towns.  Hardly  were  we  dismounted  when 
I  was  sent  scampering  out  to  the  front  to  attend  to  a 
party  of  rebels  who  were  said  to  be  threatening  our  ad 
vance  guard,  but  when  I  had  pounded  my  horses  up  hill 
and  down  dale  for  a  mile  and  a  half,  I  found  no  enemy 
to  attend  to  and  was  told  I  might  come  back  and  feed 
my  men  and  horses.  I  did  so  and  we  lay  off  for  a  couple 
of  hours  in  the  woods.  Presently  the  column  came  up 
and  we  fell  in  and  continued  our  march  until  we  came 
to  the  battlefield  of  Cedar  Mountain,  where  we  halted 
while  the  column  was  passing  an  obstacle  in  the  road. 
Here  you  know  our  2d  Regiment  was  so  cut  up  and  Ste 
phen  Perkins  was  killed.  We  looked  over  the  field  and 
saw  the  graves  of  our  troops,  but  there  are  few  signs  of 
a  battlefield  left.  I  noticed  that  our  horses  would  not 
eat  the  grass  and,  as  we  passed  one  ditch,  some  of  my 
men  hit  upon  a  skull,  apparently  dug  up  and  gnawed 
by  the  swine.  Such  it  is  to  die  for  one's  country! 

While  resting  here  a  tremendous  shower  came  up  and, 
before  it  was  over,  we  were  again  on  the  road.  As  night 
came  on  and  we  approached  the  Rapidan  things  got 
worse.  The  afternoon  was  clear  and  was  followed  by 
a  full  moonlight  evening,  but  the  roads  were  heavy 
enough  and  the  head  of  the  column  passed  on  at  a  gait 
very  unmerciful  to  the  rear.  I  once  got  a  mile  to  the 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  289 

rear  of  the  squadron  in  front  of  me  and  was  kept  at 
a  trot  the  whole  time.  At  sunset  we  entered  a  thick 
marshy  wood  of  heavy  timber,  between  Cedar  Moun 
tain  and  the  Rapidan,  and  pressed  on,  through  per 
fectly  fearful  roads,  until  about  eight  when  the  river 
brought  the  column  up  standing.  Then  came  one  of 
those  nights  which  try  the  temper  and  patience.  After 
dark,  with  exhausted  horses,  tired,  wet  and  hungry, 
we  were  first  kept  waiting  and  then  marched  into  the 
woods,  and  then  more  delay,  and  then  marched  back  in 
search  of  a  camp.  But  the  whole  wood  for  miles  was  lit 
erally  a  marsh,  and  so  after  bungling  round  for  some 
time,  at  ten  o'clock  we  were  dismounted  and  told  to 
"make  ourselves  comfortable."  It  was  the  worst  camp 
ing  ground  I  ever  saw.  The  mud  and  water  stood  every 
where  up  to  the  horses'  fetlocks  and  our  ankles  and 
it  seemed  a  dead  flat;  but  the  moon  was  in  our  favor. 
Had  it  rained,  it  would  have  been  very  trying.  The 
men  picked  out  the  dry  spots,  or  those  least  wet,  and 
Flint,  Teague  and  I  had  some  young  trees  cut  and, 
resting  one  end  on  a  dead  trunk  and  the  other  in  the 
mud,  made  a  sort  of  inclined  plane  bed  on  which  we 
spread  our  blankets,  had  some  coffee  and  beef  and 
went  to  sleep. 

The  next  day  was  the  1st  of  May  —  the  day  two 
years  that  you  sailed  for  Europe,  as  I  did  not  fail  to  re 
member.  It  was  a  delightful  day,  bright  and  sunny. 
We  did  not  leave  our  charming  camp,  christened  by  the 
men  the  water-cure  establishment  —  until  about  nine, 
and  then  went  slowly  forward  to  where  we  could  hear 
some  skirmishing  and  artillery  practice  along  the  line 


290  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [MAY  8, 

of  the  river.  Presently  we  halted  and  our  carbineers 
went  to  the  front  and  there  we  waited  all  day.  I  don't 
know  what  the  plan  was,  but  I  cannot  think  that  it 
included  our  crossing  the  river.  The  enemy  had  a  few 
pieces  of  artillery  on  the  hills  beyond  and  the  sharp 
shooters  lined  both  banks.  No  attempt  was  made  by 
us  to  cross  and  our  plan  seemed  rather  to  be  to  make  a 
feint  and  to  distract  the  enemy's  attention  from  some 
other  point.  Once  or  twice  during  the  day  we  changed 
our  position,  but  otherwise  we  killed  time  only  and 
finally  when  evening  came  and  when  we  were  in  a  very 
comfortable  position  orders  came  for  us  to  go  into  camp 
and  to  our  unspeakable  disgust  we  were  marched 
straight  back  to  the  water-cure  establishment,  and 
dumped  down  into  the  mud  again.  This  time  I  could  n't 
stand  it  and  at  eleven  o'clock,  after  wading  round  and 
looking  at  my  horses  wholly  unable  to  lay  down,  I 
got  permission  to  move  my  company  and  went  to  bed 
satisfied  that  men  and  horses  were  high  and  dry. 

Saturday  we  started  at  eight  o'clock  and,  to  our  im 
mense  surprise,  found  ourselves  on  the  back  track.  They 
said  that  we  had  accomplished  all  we  came  for,  but  we 
could  n't  see  it,  and  we  did  n't  relish  our  march.  As  for 
me,  I  did  n't  relish  the  reticence  about  high  quarters. 
There  seemed  to  be  an  air  of  solemn  silence  which 
omened  badly  and  I  felt  sure  that  evil  tidings  had 
come  from  Hooker.  Still  the  day  was  very  fine  and  the 
spring  young  and  full  of  life  and  at  this  season,  in  this 
open  air  life,  one  can't  be  dull  long,  so  I  soon  brightened 
up  and  was  all  ready  for  the  first  rumor  which  told  us 
of  a  battle  and  a  great  victory  of  Hooker's  the  day 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  291 

before.  After  that  we  lived  in  anxiety  and  rumors,  now 
victory,  now  defeat,  now  all  up  and  again  all  down,  un 
til  the  final  acknowledgment  came.  We  did  not  hear 
the  guns  of  the  battle  until  that  afternoon,  but  as  we 
approached  the  Rapidan  near  Ely's  Ford  they  began 
to  boom  faintly  up  and  when  we  reached  the  ford  at 
sunset  they  sounded  loud  and  fast.  Here  we  halted  and 
went  into  camp  with  a  notice  that  we  should  go  on 
again  at  midnight;  but  just  as  we  were  getting  ready 
to  lay  down  there  came  a  most  tremendous  volley  of 
musketry  close  to  us,  causing  us  to  saddle  with  the 
least  possible  delay.  Our  camps  were  knocked  to 
pieces  and  the  regiments  moved  off  as  soon  as  possi 
ble  and  my  squadron  was  ordered  to  support  Tidball's 
battery.  I  reported  and  all  the  dispositions  were  made 
and  things  were  prepared  for  a  night  attack,  and  then 
our  commanders  concluded  that  there  would  n't  be 
any  after  all.  It  proved  that  a  rebel  regiment  had 
fired  across  the  river  into  our  camp  and  had  then  sub 
sided  into  silence.  So  I  was  told  that  I  might  unsaddle 
and  go  to  sleep,  which  I  did,  and  at  one  o'clock  we  lay 
down  in  the  hospitable  furrows  of  a  corn  field  to  be 
called  at  four. 

Saturday  was  a  lazy,  anxious  disagreeable  day. 
Heavy  firing  in  the  direction  of  Chancellorsville,  about 
five  miles  off,  began  at  daybreak  and  was  kept  up  un 
til  nearly  noon  without  intermission.  We  anxiously 
watched  the  direction  and  distance  and  tried  to  draw 
inferences  from  it.  We  listened  to  all  sorts  of  rumors 
which  came  flowing  in,  most  of  them  encouraging,  and 
tried  to  believe  them,  and,  in  fact,  we  did  and  that 


292  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS        [MAY  8, 

afternoon  I,  for  one,  was  sanguine  and  confident.  At 
noon  the  battery  left  and  I  was  relieved,  so,  to  pass  the 
time,  I  was  ordered  to  go  and  strip  an  old  secesh  farmer 
of  his  corn,  for  our  horses  were  well-nigh  starving.  I 
did  so  in  most  approved  style  and  in  reply  to  his  long 
story  of  losses,  plunderings  and  impending  starvation 
turned  the  deaf  ear  of  duty,  and,  as  I  swept  off  his  last 
ears  of  seed  corn,  told  him  that  Virginia  had  brought 
this  on  herself  and  need  expect  no  mercy.  I  think  that 
that  old  pod  realises  that  the  ordinance  of  secession  was 
a  mistake.  After  finishing  this  job  I  took  my  squadron 
into  the  woods  and  we  lay  off  for  a  few  hours  under  the 
trees  in  the  pleasant  spring  afternoon  until  the  column 
started  to  cross  the  river,  when  I  fell  in. 

We  crossed  and  came  into  our  lines  a  couple  of  miles 
on  the  other  side.  Though  I  did  not  know  it,  those  two 
miles  were  very  dangerous  to  us,  for  it  was  through 
thick  woods,  of  which  we  did  not  hold  possession,  and 
in  which  a  few  felled  trees  and  a  small  force  of  infan 
try  could  have  driven  us  back.  We  got  through  safely 
however  and  came  into  our  lines.  We  found  our  forces 
throwing  up  defences,  as  busy  as  bees,  already  strongly 
protected  and  apparently  in  excellent  spirits.  They 
looked  fresh,  clean  and  confident.  We  went  on  to  U.S. 
ford  and  soon  struck  the  main  road  with  its  endless 
confusion  —  reinforcements,  supply  and  ammunition 
trains  and  messengers  going  to  the  front;  stragglers, 
ambulances  and  stretchers  with  the  loads  of  wounded 
and  dying  men  toiling  to  the  rear;  cattle,  horses  and 
mules;  wounded  men  resting,  tired  men  sleeping,  all 
here  looking  excited  and  worn  out  with  fatigue.  The 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  293 

news  here  was  not  so  good,  but  the  llth  Corps  had 
fought  here  and  had  not  fought  well,  and  we  thought 
it  was  probably  colored  by  their  reverses. 

We  got  to  the  ford  at  dusk  and  encamped,  and  in 
the  evening  we  had  a  shower  or  two  and  in  the  morn 
ing  we  woke  by  a  brisk  discharge  of  artillery  and  burst 
ing  of  shells.  At  ten  o'clock  we  moved  and  came  across 
the  river  and  encamped  on  this  side  in  a  wood,  a  mile 
or  so  from  the  river,  and  received  a  new  issue  of  forage 
or  rations.  The  rumors  were  very  good  and  very  bad. 
At  first,  the  enemy  was  surrounded,  Sedgwick  held  the 
heights  and  we  were  getting  ready  to  follow  in  pursuit. 
Then  Sedgwick  had  lost  the  heights  and  Hooker  was 
coming  to  grief,  and  night  fell  on  rumors  of  an  un 
pleasant  aspect.  Still  our  quarters  were  comfortable 
and  we  turned  in  for  a  good  night's  sleep;  but  at  two 
o'clock  we  were  called  and  ordered  to  be  ready  to 
move  in  ten  minutes  and  three  found  us  on  the  road. 
We  marched  down  towards  Falmouth,  utterly  ignorant 
of  our  destination  or  of  what  was  going  on;  but  as 
day  broke  through  a  thick  heavy  fog  we  found  various 
stragglers,  etc.,  and  picked  up  scraps  of  news.  It  was 
all  bad,  not  decisive,  but  bad;  things  evidently  were 
going  wrong.  At  last  I  met  a  Captain  from  Sedgwick's 
Corps  who  gave  me  the  gross  results,  and  in  a  few  min 
utes  I  rode  through  Falmouth  as  dejected  a  man  as  you 
would  care  to  see.  I  felt  sick  of  the  war,  of  the  army, 
almost  of  life.  I  thought  of  you  and  of  this  result 
abroad;  it  seemed  too  much  and  I  felt  despairing.  We 
presently  halted  beyond  Falmouth  and  there  passed 
the  day  trying  not  to  believe  news  which  we  felt  to  be 


294  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS        [MATS, 

true.  The  morning  was  very  hot,  but  in  the  afternoon 
a  tremendous  rain-storm  came  up  ending  in  a  north 
easter,  wetting  us  through,  driving  us  out  of  our  tents 
and  freezing  us  nearly  to  death,  and  in  this  we  passed 
the  night. 

Wednesday  was  cheerless  to  a  degree.  Wind  north 
east,  cold  and  rainy,  and  we  wet  and  shivering;  but  it 
wore  away  by  degrees  and  our  spirits  kept  rising,  until 
at  last  we  actually  believed  that  the  army  had  not  re 
treated;  but  in  the  afternoon  came  the  crusher.  The 
news  of  the  retreat  of  the  army  came  upon  us  at  once 
with  the  order  to  saddle  and  return  to  our  old  camp. 
We  did  so  and  returned  to  Potomac  Run  Bridge.  It 
was  a  cold,  cheerless  afternoon.  The  rain  fell  by  show 
ers  in  torrents  and  we  had  been  wet  through  twenty- 
four  hours.  We  found  our  old  camp  deserted,  burned 
up,  filthy  and  surrounded  with  dead  horses.  We  tied 
up  our  horses  and  stood  dismally  round  in  the  pouring 
rain.  Presently  shelters  were  rigged  up  and  we  crawled 
into  them  and  passed  a  supperless,  wet  night,  by  no 
means  uncheerfully,  for  things  were  too  bad  to  be 
trifled  with  now  and  woe  to  a  grumbling  man,  or  one 
who  intimated  that  things  might  be  more  agreeable. 

Thursday,  just  as  we  were  getting  ready  to  clear 
away  the  wreck  and  to  discover  what  our  four  weeks 
of  active  service  had  left  of  our  companions  an  order 
came  for  us  at  once  to  go  out  on  picket.  I  was  not  sorry 
to  do  it,  for  the  old  camp  is  not  pleasant.  We  did  so 
and  here  I  am  now,  doing  the  lightest  possible  picket 
duty  and  sitting  in  the  woods.  To  be  sure  it  rained 
again  last  night  and  we  are  still  wet;  but  we  are  out  of 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  295 

that  confounded  filthy  camp  which  oppresses  us  with 
defeat. 

Potomac  Bridge,  Va. 
May  9,  1863 

BACK  at  Potomac  Run  and  so  ends  today  the  four 
toughest  weeks  campaigning  that  I  have  ever  felt  — 
mud  and  rain,  rain  and  mud,  long  marches  and  short 
forages.  It  is  strange  how  I  like  the  life  though,  in 
spite  of  its  hardships  and  beastly  slavery.  I  no  longer 
care  for  a  leave  of  absence,  or  wish  to  go  home.  I  am 
satisfied  to  stay  here  and  see  the  thing  through.  Still 
we  are  now  clearing  away  the  wreck  and  can  see  what 
damage  is  done.  We  got  in  from  picket  last  night  at 
nine  o'clock,  and  today  it  has  cleared  off  and  we  can 
take  account  of  stock.  The  trip  has  used  up  about 
twenty  of  my  sixty  horses  and  done  no  good  to  the  men, 
but  we  have  seen  no  fighting.  Our  regiment  has  lost 
one  officer,  poor  Phillips,  picked  off  by  a  sharp-shooter 
on  the  Rapidan.  He  was  a  promoted  sergeant  and  came 
from  Springfield.  Our  division  has  lost  its  General  — 
Averell  —  placed  under  arrest,  why,  I  do  not  know. 
I  think  they'll  have  to  release  him,  as,  good  or  bad, 
he 's  the  best  we  have.  Stoneman  turned  up  last  night 
and  what  he  has  done  the  newspapers  will  tell  you; 
I  can't.  As  for  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  it's  loss  is 
great,  but  not  irreparable.  The  men  do  not  seem  cast 
down  or  demoralised  and  the  enemy  cannot  afford  to 
diminish  their  forces  opposite.  The  real  trouble,  I  im 
agine,  is  the  mustering  out  of  the  two  year  men.  If  it 
were  not  for  that  I  should  feel  confidence  in  immediate 
movement.  As  for  Hooker,  I  think  the  army  feels  con- 


296  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS        [MAY  8. 

fidence  in  him.  He  ran  his  head  against  a  stone  wall 
here,  but  that  is  his  tendency  and  the  lesson  will  be  of 
great  service.  I  think  he  '11  do  much  better  next  time. 
On  the  whole  things  might  be  much  worse;  but  the 
army  must  be  kept  in  motion  and  the  enemy  engaged. 
If  Hooker  rests,  he 's  lost,  and  so  I  look  to  being  in  the 
field  again  at  once.  .  .  . 

HENRY  ADAMS  TO  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS,  JR. 

London,  May  8,  1863 

MY  bulletin  is  calmer  this  week  than  has  been  usual  of 
late.  The  little  squall  has  passed  and  instead  of  press 
ing  on  the  Minister,  people  here  feel  that  Lord  Russell 
was  in  the  wrong  in  his  attack  that  I  sent  you  some 
weeks  ago,  and  the  Times  has  this  week  administered 
a  second  pacify er  in  the  shape  of  a  flattering  leader  on 
Mr.  Adams'  speech  to  the  Trades  Unions  delegation. 
I  send  you  a  newspaper  containing  this  speech.  No 
tice  also  the  Royal  Academy  dinner  and  Lord  Palmer- 
ston's  remarks.  They  are  not  political,  but  are  a  no 
ble  specimen  of  lofty  sentiment  and  brilliant  rhetoric, 
worthy  of  the  experienced  statesman  to  whose  power 
and  wisdom  this  vast  nation  bows.  And  these  men  call 
Seward  shallow  and  weak! 

A  much  quieter  feeling  and  a  partial  reaction  against 
the  blockade  runners  have  generally  prevailed  here  for 
a  week  past.  OUT  successes  on  the  Mississippi,  too,  and 
the  direct  advices  from  the  South  are  having  a  quiet 
ing  effect  here  on  the  public,  and  the  Polish  question  is 
becoming  so  grave  that  we  are  let  up  a  little.  On  the 
whole  we  have  made  progress  this  last  week. 


1863.]          A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS  297 

Meanwhile  we  have  a  complete  Cabinet  of  Minis 
terial  advisers  and  assistants.  I  wrote  you  their  names 
in  my  last.  Of  them  all  Mr.  Evarts  is  the  only  one 
whom  I  put  very  high.  Dana  too  has  written  to  call 
on  my  services  for  him.  So  I  have  done  and  shall  do 
everything  I  can  to  make  him  comfortable  and  con 
tented.  Last  Sunday  I  took  him  down  to  Westminster 
Abbey  in  the  afternoon,  where  we  listened  awhile  to 
the  services,  and  then  trotted  off  and  took  a  steamboat 
up  the  river.  We  had  a  two  hours'  voyage  up  to  Kew, 
where  we  arrived  at  half  after  five,  and  had  just  time 
to  run  over  the  gardens.  Then  we  took  a  cab  and 
drove  up  to  Richmond  Hill,  where  we  ordered  dinner 
at  the  Star  and  Garter,  and  then  sat  in  the  open  air 
and  watched  the  view  and  the  sunset  until  our  meal 
was  ready.  Much  conversation  had  we,  and  that  of  a 
pretty  confidential  nature.  We  discussed  affairs  at 
home  and  philosophic  statesmanship,  the  Government 
and  the  possibility  of  effectual  reform.  He  is  much  like 
Dana  in  his  views,  but  is  evidently  a  good  deal  soured 
by  his  political  ill-luck. 

Another  evening  I  took  him  out  to  see  London  by 
night.  We  visited,  as  spectators,  various  places  of  pop 
ular  resort.  He  was  much  interested  in  them,  and 
seemed  to  enjoy  the  experience  as  a  novelty  in  his 
acquaintance  with  life.  London  is  rather  peculiar  in 
these  respects,  and  even  an  experienced  traveller  would 
find  novelty  in  the  study  of  character  at  the  Argyll 
Rooms  and  at  Evans's.  At  any  rate,  I  consider  that 
I  have  done  my  part  there,  and  you  may  imagine  that 
I  do  not  much  neglect  opportunities  to  conciliate  men 


298  A  CYCLE  OF  ADAMS  LETTERS       [MAY  8. 

like  him,  like  Seward  and  like  Weed.  I  would  like  to 
get  further  west,  but  the  deuce  of  it  is  that  there  are 
so  few  distinguished  western  men. 

With  this  exception  I  believe  the  last  week  has  been 
quiet.  I  was  rather  astonished  last  Monday  by  one  of 
Seward's  jocose  proceedings.  The  Minister  had  sent 
me  down  to  the  Trades  Unions  meeting  three  weeks 
ago  to  make  a  report  on  it  to  him,  for  transmission  to 
Washington.  I  did  so  and  wrote  a  report  which  I  had  no 
time  either  to  correct  or  alter,  and  which  was  sent  the 
next  day  to  Seward  officially,  appended  to  a  despatch. 
Now  Seward  writes  back  as  grave  as  a  Prime  Minister 
a  formal  despatch  acknowledging  the  other,  and  thank 
ing  "Mr.  Henry  B.  Adams  "  in  stately  and  wordy  para 
graphs  for  his  report  and  "profound  disquisition,"  etc., 
etc.  I  propose  to  write  a  note  to  Fred  Seward  on  his 
father's  generosity.  .  .  . 


END  OF  VOLUME  I 


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